Attorney General of Pennsylvania

	Pennsylvania Attorney General
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$177,237
2024 FY Budget:	$138,816,000
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Pennsylvania Constitution, Article IV, Section 4
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder
	Attorney General of Pennsylvania Michelle Henry; Democratic Party; Assumed office: 2023-03-08
	Elections
Next election:	November 5, 2024
Last election:	November 3, 2020
	Other Pennsylvania Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Attorney General of Pennsylvania is an elected constitutional office in the executive branch of the Pennsylvania state government. He or she serves as the chief law enforcement officer of Pennsylvania and represents the state and its agencies in any action brought by or against them. The attorney general is responsible for collecting all debts, taxes, and accounts due to the state. The attorney general serves as a member of boards and commissions, including the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Board of Pardons, the Board of Finance and Revenue, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission, and the Mid-Atlantic Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network.^[1]

The attorney general is elected in presidential election years and cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in office.^[2]

Pennsylvania has a divided government where neither party holds a triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor and attorney general, while the Republican Party controls the office of secretary of state.

Current officeholder

The current Attorney General of Pennsylvania is Michelle Henry (D). Henry assumed office in 2023.

Authority

The Pennsylvania Constitution addresses the office of the attorney general in Article IV.

Under Article IV, Section 4:

An Attorney General shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the Commonwealth on the day the general election is held for the Auditor General and State Treasurer; he shall hold his office during four years from the third Tuesday of January next ensuing his election and shall not be eligible to serve continuously for more than two successive terms; he shall be the chief law officer of the Commonwealth and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be imposed by law.^[2]

Qualifications

Article IV Section 5 of the state constitution also outlines the qualifications for holding the office of attorney general.^[2]

at least 30 years old
a resident of Pennsylvania for at least the previous seven years
a member of bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Article IV, Section 5:

No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor or Attorney General except a citizen of the United States, who shall have attained the age of thirty years, and have been seven years next preceding his election an inhabitant of this Commonwealth, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this Commonwealth. No person shall be eligible to the office of Attorney General except a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.^[2]

Elections

Pennsylvania state government organizational chart

Pennsylvania elects the attorney general in presidential election years. The term for the office begins on the third Tuesday of January following the election.

In the primary election of 1978, Pennsylvania voters approved a constitutional amendment that changed the attorney general from an appointed position to an elected position. The change was implemented in 1980 when Republican LeRoy S. Zimmerman became Pennsylvania's first elected attorney general.^[1]

2024

See also: Pennsylvania Attorney General election, 2024

General election

The primary will occur on April 23, 2024. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Keir Bradford-Grey, Eugene DePasquale, Joe Khan, Jared Solomon, and Jack Stollsteimer are running in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate
		Keir Bradford-Grey
		Eugene DePasquale
		Joe Khan
		Jared Solomon
		Jack Stollsteimer

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Dave Sunday and Craig Williams are running in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate
		Dave Sunday
		Craig Williams

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Katayoun Copeland (R)