Washington, DC — DAGA Co-Chair and Nevada AG Aaron Ford sat down with POLITICO’s Recast to discuss the advice he received from then-Senator Kamala Harris when he first ran for Attorney General in 2018; his massive 2022 win in Nevada when he was the top Democratic vote-getter in the state; the work he’s doing as AG and as a DAGA Co-Chair, including taking on the biggest policy battles in the country.

When asked about his work as Co-Chair of DAGA, AG Ford said, “First of all, let me say DAGA is near and dear to my heart. I’ve benefited from this organization as a candidate and tried to contribute back as an elected official.”

“In 2022, for example, we outraised the Republican Attorneys General Association, $25.5 million compared to their $24.8 million. And because of that, we were able to flip two seats, including the critical battleground seat in Arizona, and then Vermont, we also were able to flip. I regularly met with our AG candidates and offered them … some of the exact same advice that I got from Vice President Harris when I first ran in 2018 … about our job being justice,” continues AG Ford. 

Ford discussed Democratic AGs’ ongoing work to protect diversity programs in the Fortune 100 amidst attacks by Republican AGs earlier this year. The Recast writes, “The Nevada attorney general tells The Recast that he takes the attacks on diversity personally.”

“Ford credits affirmative action for allowing him to not only pursue and attain a college degree but ultimately go on to earn four other degrees. And as a co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association’s executive committee, tasked with electing more top state law enforcement officers from his party, he believes diversity in that position is vital to making government and the law more reflective of the nation’s demographics.” 

Ford added: “I do think many will continue to attack this notion of diversity, but what they fail to realize is that diversity makes our nation great just like Nevada, where we thrive on diversity.’”

AG Ford continued, “I won’t look down on diversity programs. They’re too important. They help to redress past wrongs. And frankly, they’re just morally right, not to mention the monetary component that these types of programs have as a benefit as well to those companies that want to actually cater to their diverse constituents.” 

On the dangers of Republican AGs efforts to continue to attack diversity, AG Ford said, “‘They are trying their very best to attack diversity. They’re anti-diversity, they’re anti-equity, they’re anti-inclusion and frankly, they’re anti-business. Since when did Republicans become the ones that want to tell businesses how they can invest and how they can hire? Instead, they want to control and threaten with, not even veiled threats, but outright threats against these companies. And, you know, we recognize that for what it is.’”

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