DAGA Announces $19 Million Raised to Date; Dems Need Just One Seat to Win Back a Majority Nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C.— With less than six weeks to Election Day, the Democratic Attorneys General Association is focused on battleground states with eyes on regaining the majority of state Attorney General seats nationwide. On a press call today, DAGA announced record fundraising of $19 million so far across all entities and plans to invest as much as $15 million in battleground and competitive states.

“Democratic Attorneys General are the most effective elected officials in the country, stepping up to provide life-saving leadership that is missing in Washington,” said Farah Melendez, Political Director of the Democratic Attorneys General Association. “There is more money and more attention being paid to down ballot races than ever before—and here at DAGA, we intend to continue setting records and winning big fights.”

This fundraising success is helping to fuel DAGA’s electoral strategy which includes incumbency protection, flipping seats back to blue, and holding the GOP accountable. One element of DAGA’s election strategy involves DAGA’s volunteer to voter texting program. In Indiana, DAGA has already texted nearly 800,000 Hoosiers. In Pennsylvania, DAGA has already texted more than 800,000 Pennsylvanians. In total, across all 2020 states & programs, DAGA has reached more than 3.4 million people to talk about the importance of state AGs.

DAGA heads into the final weeks before Election Day in a similar position to the 2018 Midterms, when it swept all Democratic-held seats and flipped four battleground seats: CO, MI, NV and WI. With national attention turning to the Republican AG-led health care repeal lawsuit being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court one week after Election Day, and the ongoing public health crisis caused by COVID-19, access to affordable health care including protections for pre-existing conditions is top of mind for voters as early voting begins in battleground states around the country.

“Voters know Democrats are the party of health care—and for voters, there is no clearer distinction than at the state AG level,” said Melendez. “Just one week after Election Day, Republican AGs will be on one side of the Supreme Court trying to take health care away while Democratic AGs are on the other, fighting to protect Medicaid expansion and protections for people with pre-existing conditions.”

On the call today, North Carolina AG Josh Stein and Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro shared updates on the state of their races and emphasized their leadership on key issues to voters.

“As Attorney General, I am proud to have protected families across North Carolina,” said North Carolina AG Josh Stein. “In the past four years, I have sought justice by working to eliminate the state’s backlog of more than 15,000 sexual assault kits, helped lead the national multistate investigation into the opioid manufacturers, held corporations that pollute our environment accountable for their actions, defend people’s right to vote, and successfully advocated for legislation to protect children from sex abusers,”

AG Stein continued. “The role of state Attorneys General has never been more important, and I am eager to continue to lead on these and many other issues when I am re-elected.”

“As the people’s Attorney General, I’m working every day to protect Pennsylvanians’ right to health care, clean air and pure water, public safety, honest services and so much more,” said Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro. “I’m honored to be taking on the tough fights and standing up to the powerful interests for our Commonwealth. That’s the kind of leadership Pennsylvanians need right now as we face unprecedented times, and that’s what I’ll continue to deliver.”

Last week, The Cook Political Report’s updated rankings for state AG races put the Democratic flip opportunities of Indiana and Montana as highly competitive races. On the call today, Raph Graybill, Democratic candidate for AG and current Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Bullock stressed what is at stake for Montana voters this year. In Indiana, Democratic AG candidate and former Mayor of Evansville Jonathan Weinzapfel reinforced his bipartisan leadership and called out his opponent Todd Rokita’s corruption.

“This election is about our health care, fighting for our loved ones, and for those who cannot fight for themselves,” said Montana’s Democratic AG nominee Raph Graybill. “That’s what the Attorney General’s job is, and I’ll wake up every day making sure Montanans have a leader who fights for them.”

“Heading into the final stretch of the campaign, we are in great shape. We continue to offer ideas, to garner bipartisan support, and to raise the funds necessary to be successful,” said Indiana’s Democratic AG nominee Jonathan Weinzapfel. “Hoosiers are tuning into this race because they know that their health care, their right to vote, and their safety is on the ballot this election. They are tired of the politics of fear and division, they want leaders who can lead us forward in these difficult times. That’s what I’ve done my entire career and it’s what I will do as Indiana’s next Attorney General.”

As part of DAGA’s plan to hold the GOP accountable, DAGA teased plans to further expose Republican AG extremism. From flirting with QAnon conspiracies to doubling down on destroying health care, the Republican AGs are resorting to extreme positions that require spreading lies and fearmongering.

“Trump and the Republican AGs and candidates have thrown the Constitution out the window,” added Melendez. “Republican AGs are trying to gut health care for millions of Americans, roll back environmental protections that protect our air, water, and endangered species, reverse years of progress in reproductive freedom, abolish protections for sexual assault survivors and students, suppress access to the ballot box, the list could go on and on.”

“Regardless of who is in the White House or controls Congress, Democrats are going to need every tool available to protect our democracy,” closed out Melendez. “Democratic AGs are the legal muscle the American people need to keep them safe.”