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

2019 CAMPAIGN UPDATE:

• MISSISSIPPI: Democratic candidate for AG Jennifer Riley Collins’s historic campaign was highlighted in Newsweek this week. “I believe that citizens of the state of Mississippi are ready to move forward for leadership to look like our state,” Riley Collins told Newsweek. “I would never allow politics to prevent me from standing with people and I think that message resonates.” Read the full profile here!
• KENTUCKY: The Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) announced an initial $2.5 million allocation supporting Greg Stumbo in the Kentucky Attorney General race. “We are all in when it comes to supporting Greg Stumbo and his campaign. He is ready to serve the people of Kentucky as Attorney General on his first day in office,” affirmed Sean Rankin, Democratic Attorneys General Association Executive Director. The DAGA People’s Lawyer Project, an independent organization backed by DAGA, has booked $1.3 million so far in television advertising in key media markets for Kentucky voters starting October 16th. The TV-buy will run through Election Day. Read the full press release here!
• LOUISIANA: After Jeff Landry texted thousands of Louisiana voters at 3AM, Louisianans took to Twitter to share their feelings on AG Landry’s late night texts and the upcoming election – including who (and what) they would rather vote for on October 12^th than Jeff Landry. Check out this video for a fun recap of the reactions.

DEFENDING DACA
17 Democratic AGs filed a brief with the Supreme Court defending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which is under attack by the Trump administration. Thanks to early wins in court by Democratic AGs, more than 500,000 DREAMers have been able to renew their status and to obtain work permits while being protected from deportation. The Supreme Court announced they will hear the case this Fall. Be on the lookout for more updates as our Democratic AGs continue to protect some of the most vulnerable among us.

TROUBLE SLEEPING, MR. PRESIDENT?
Massachusetts AG Maura Healey sat down with Jennifer Ruben at the Washington Post to discuss how AG Healey and her Democratic AG colleagues are working together to protect our democracy. When asked about the number of lawsuits against the Trump admin, AG Healey responded, “I don’t count. I don’t tally… We just bring cases we need to bring.” AG Healey also stressed the important teamwork of the Democratic AG coalition in the current political and policy landscape that has earned them the reputation of being “Trump’s worst nightmare.” Read the full article here!

TONG TAKES ON TRUMP
The Hartford Courant profiled Connecticut AG William Tong after his first nine months in the Connecticut OAG. “The job is to protect and defend Connecticut families and be the state’s lawyer. With this administration and all the powerful forces that are bearing down on us, squeezing us, every day, we are the firewall,” AG Tong told the Courant. DAGA Executive Director Sean Rankin added that newly elected AGs like AG Tong “hit the ground running” after being sworn into office. Read the full profile piece here!

THE BIG 5-0
Washington AG Bob Ferguson spoke to The Los Angeles Time about his office’s success against the Trump administration, including the very first lawsuit filed against the Trump admin for the Travel Ban. AG Ferguson tells the LA Times that “his challenge to Trump’s first travel ban as the most significant, one that he feels set a tone and helped empower other states.” It the time since that first lawsuit, AG Ferguson has filed 49 more lawsuits against the Trump administration – bringing his total up to 50. Read more on his success here!

(POD)CASTING CALL
Michigan AG Dana Nessel joined the Between the Lines podcast to talk about her work in the LGBTQ community, her goals as Attorney General, and her thoughts on the current political situation. “Who [the] attorney general [is] sort of dictates how things move forward and I think I have an amazing staff of people and I’ll tell you what, they’re always coming up with helpful suggestions, what we can do to expand peoples’ civil rights and protections for all communities of people here in the state of Michigan,” said AG Nessel. Read the full Q&A here and listen to the podcast here!

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Former professional basketball player Massachusetts AG Maura Healey gave NBA Star Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics some basketball tips! Check out the video here!