Here is what happened this week for DAGA and our Democratic Attorneys General:

ON THE TRAIL

MISSISSIPPI
Endorsement Update: Jennifer Riley Collins received two big endorsements this week in Mississippi. Earlier in the week, Daily Kos, the progressive online community, announced their support for Riley Collins’s campaign and on Thursday, Debra Lee, former Chairman and CEO of BET announced her support.

• Daily Kos wrote, “Electing a Democrat in a red state like Mississippi would add an important voice to this coalition, and it would be critical to protecting civil rights in a state where they’ve so often come under assault.”
• Debra Lee said, “I am proud to endorse Jennifer Riley Collins, a civil rights lawyer, veteran of the US Armed Forces and mom, for Mississippi Attorney General. As someone who grew up in the South, and who spent 15 years practicing law, I understand deeply the importance of having an Attorney General who will represent everybody and stand up for justice.” Check out her tweet here!

Top Hits: National Political Director for Emerge America, A’Shanti Gholar, wrote an op-ed in Refinery29 about why we should “Stop Calling Black Women ‘Long-Shot’ Candidates.” Gholar highlights how Jennifer Riley Collins’ “candidacy is set up to follow the successful campaigns of dozens of other women over the past few years, including attorneys general races during last year’s midterms.” Read the full op-ed here!

In Action: This week, Higher Heights for America PAC, who previously endorsed Jennifer Riley Collins, held a national organizing call with New York AG Tish James to harness grassroots energy around Jennifer Riley Collins’s campaign.

KENTUCKY
New Ad Alert: This week, DAGA People’s Lawyers Project Kentucky, an independent organization backed by the Democratic Attorneys General Association, released a new 30-second TV ad titled “Hire.” The ad highlights Mitch McConnell protégé and Republican AG candidate Daniel Cameron’s lack of legal experience and work as a Washington lobbyist. Check out the ad here! Learn more about why Daniel Cameron isn’t qualified to serve as Kentucky AG here!

Major Endorsements:  In the span of a week, Democratic AG candidate Greg Stumbo received two major endorsements from Kentucky’s leading newspapers: The Courier Journal and The Lexington Herald-Leader. Both endorsements highlight Greg Stumbo’s strong legal career and experience protecting the people of Kentucky in comparison to McConnell protégé Daniel Cameron’s concerning lack of legal experience (never having tried a court case) and unfamiliarity with Kentucky law.

From The Courier Journal:

• “Stumbo also has a greater understanding than his opponent of the attorney general’s role in ensuring that our government acts legally and constitutionally, which is a fundamental requirement of the position.”
• Daniel Cameron “comes up woefully short on experience…Most of his experience comes from Washington, D.C., where his focus was on federal law. Kentucky’s attorney general must be well-versed in state law.”

Read the full endorsement here!

From The Lexington Herald-Leader:

• “Stumbo is smart and tough; he knows more about Kentucky than most people and he understands the role of Attorney General.”
• Daniel Cameron “has little to no actual courtroom experience but has clerked for a federal judge and spent the past several years at the Frost Brown Todd law firm.”

Read the full endorsement here!

MULTI-STATE MOMENTS!

9^th CIRCUIT WIN
A coalition of 14 Democratic AGs led by California AG Xavier Becerra scored a major victory against the Trump Administration in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Trump administration’s repeated attempt to strip access to cost-free birth control under the Affordable Care Act was blocked, keeping in place vital access to reproductive health care for millions of Americans. AG Becerra said, “Once again, our courts have blocked the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to trample on women’s rights.”

AG SPOTLIGHT!

(POD)CASTING CALL: COLORADO
The Center for Western Priorities sat down with Colorado AG Phil Weiser for their “Go West, Young Podcast.” AG Weiser spotlighted taking on the Trump Administration’s dangerous rollbacks of environmental protections and fighting for states’ rights. AG Weiser started off by saying, “I represent all the people of Colorado. I’m elected by the people of Colorado to serve them, to protect them using the law.” AG Weiser continued, “I have always been for states having authority to implement laws”. Listen to the full conversation here!

TWEET OF THE WEEK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

DAGA joined the 2019 Progressive Strategy Summit on for a panel called “Protecting the Progressive (AG)enda During the Trump Era.” Delaware AG Kathy Jennings, Maryland AG Brian Frosh, and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison joined DAGA Political Director Farah Melendez to highlight the work Democratic AGs do together to protect our democracy! See more here!