(WHTM) - Candidates have begun to announce plans to run for Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2024.
The early announcements come after Attorney General Michelle Henry told lawmakers she would not run in 2024. Henry was appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro to fill his role leading the Attorney General's office after Shapiro won the 2022 Governor's race.
Here are the candidates who have declared their candidacy for Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2024.
Democrats
Eugene DePasquale
Former two-term Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced in June that he is running for Attorney General. He was the first candidate to officially enter the race.
DePasquale highlighted women’s reproductive rights, defending democracy, and his desire to “hold big corporations accountable” in the announcement video. His campaign website outlined additional policy issues such as unions, student loans, healthcare, education, crime, and the environment.
“I’m in this fight because I, like too many Pennsylvanians, know what it’s like to be knocked down without a hand to get you back up,” said the Democrat DePasquale in a video released on social media.
DePasquale ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, losing to incumbent Republican Scott Perry. He previously served as chairman of the York County Democratic Party before serving three terms in the state House of Representatives.
Joe Khan
Joe Khan, a former Bucks County Solicitor and federal prosecutor, announced his candidacy for Attorney General in early June.
In his announcement video and campaign website Khan highlighted crime, election integrity, abortion rights, and taking on large corporations.
“As the son of a Muslim immigrant and Catholic nurse who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood, I know that government has to work for everyone. As a prosecutor, I’ve taken on the toughest challenges: gun violence, sexual assault, and hate crimes. As a solicitor, I’ve defended our democracy from Donald Trump, stood up for abortion rights, and sued Big Pharma, Big Tech, and polluters to hold them accountable. I’m running for Attorney General to continue my lifelong fight to keep people safe, tackle corporate and political corruption, and build a better world for our kids,” said Khan.
Khan previously served in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office. In 2017 he finished second to Larry Krasner in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia District Attorney.
Keir Bradford-Grey
Keir Bradford-Grey, who led the Defender Association of Philadelphia for five years, announced her campaign for Attorney General on June 21.
Bradford-Grey previously served as Montgomery County's chief public defender where she expanded her offices' profiles to get involved in criminal justice reform and push for policy changes such as fighting the use of cash bail for pre-trial detention.
“People write off what it means to be a public defender,” Bradford-Grey said in an interview. “They don’t know the experience and skill you develop in becoming a problem-solver and a solution-driver and understanding root causes very well.”
If elected, Keir Bradford-Grey would become the first Black attorney general in Pennsylvania.
Jared Solomon
State Rep. Jared Solomon announced in September he would run for Attorney General.
An Army Reserve JAG officer, Solomon was first elected to the State House in 2016 when he defeated incumbent Mark Cohen in the 2016 primary election. Solomon has run unopposed in each primary and general election since the 2016 primary to represent the 202nd District.
Solomon currently chairs the House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committee and serves on both the Health and State Government committees.
Republicans
Dave Sunday
York County District Attorney Dave Sunday became the first Republican to formally enter the race in July. Sunday has worked as a prosecutor in York County since 2009 and became District Attorney in 2018.
Sunday was previously appointed by the Department of Justice as special assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania to prosecute gang, gun and drug cases in federal court. In that role, he was involved with the arrest and prosecution of more than 100 people associated with the Latin Kings gang in York County.
Sunday enlisted in the Navy and attended Penn State University and Widener Law School.
Candidates not running in 2024
Michelle Henry
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry told a state Senate committee that she does not plan to run for office in 2024. She was appointed after Josh Shapiro was elected Governor in 2022. She previously served as First Deputy Attorney General under Shapiro after serving in the Westmoreland County and Bucks County District Attorney’s offices.
The 2024 Pennsylvania Attorney General election will be held on Nov. 5, 2024.
abc27 will continue to update this list as candidates decide whether to enter, pass on, or withdraw from the race.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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