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

2019 UPDATE ON THE RACES

• MISSISSIPPI: With just under six weeks before Mississippi voters go to the polls and choose their next Attorney General, it is critical for voters to understand the difference between Democrat Jennifer Riley Collins and Republican Lynn Fitch — and why Jennifer Riley Collins is the better choice to serve the people as Mississippi’s next Attorney General. Check out the Medium post detailing the differences here!
• KENTUCKY: A hearing has been scheduled on October 7^th for the lawsuit challenging Republican AG candidate Daniel Cameron’s qualifications to run for state Attorney General. After the lawsuit became public, support for Democratic AG candidate Greg Stumbo praising his years of experience came pouring into editorial pages. Check out this letter to the editor that states, “I am confident that [Stumbo] won’t turn the office into a political extension of the governor’s office — or McConnell’s — because of his long record and experience as a lawyer.”
• LOUISIANA: Late Thursday, Louisiana AG Jeff Landry’s campaign mass texted Louisiana voters at 3:30 AM. Whoops! The campaign blamed this on a network error, but there are still a lot of questions about what happened. Democratic AG candidate Ike Jackson called Landry’s campaign out on Twitter saying, “While @JeffLandry puts the healthcare of thousands at risk, I am running to protect it. That way, you’ll never wake up at 3am wondering how you’ll access the care you need – or because you got a text from Jeff Landry himself.”

NARAL TURNS 50

This week, NARAL celebrated its 50^th anniversary and Massachusetts AG Maura Healey joined in the festivities. Speaking at the Ideas Festival, AG Healey said, “No matter what comes our way, I want you to know that Dem AGs will continue to stand up to the rule of law…and stand up for women’s rights.” Check out more of the coverage here! And don’t miss AG Healey and NARAL President Ilyse Hogue here!

DEM AGs LEADING THE WAY

• SHAPIRO LEADS ON GVP: A coalition of 21 Democratic AGs, led by Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro, sent a letter to Congressional leaders this week urging support for “Jaime’s Law”, legislation that would require background checks for ammunition sales. “Gun violence is a public health and public safety crisis that is devastating communities across the nation,” said AG Shapiro. “Jaime’s Law” is named after Jaime Guttenberg, a student killed in the Parkland shooting, has been championed by her father and gun violence prevention leader, Fred Guttenberg. Fred thanked AG Shapiro in a tweet this week for leading on this important safety prevention. Read more here!
• END THE MUSLIM TRAVEL BAN … ONCE AND FOR ALL: The National Origin-Based Anti-discrimination for Non-immigrants Act (the NO BAN Act) is the legislative response – and the first national Muslim civil rights bill – to the Trump administration’s third iteration of the discriminatory travel ban that was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018. This week, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison led a coalition of 19 Democratic AGs in a letter to Congressional leaders urging support for the NO BAN Act emphasizing that, “The President abused his power, Congressional intent, and constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion in order to scapegoat a whole class of people for purely personal political ends — not to pursue the national interest or keep Americans safe.”  Read the full letter here!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: 

DAGA Co-Chair District of Columbia AG Karl Racine testified before Congress this week on illegal worker misclassification in DC’s construction industry.

PROTECTING AMERICA’S WILDLIFE

A coalition of 18 Democratic AGs filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s rollback of the Endangered Species Act, a move that will weaken protections that have combated species extinction for more than 45 years. California AG Xavier Becerra stressed that, “As we face the unprecedented threat of a climate emergency, now is the time to strengthen our planet’s biodiversity, not to destroy it.” This is just one of more than 250 actions Democratic AGs have taken to protect our environment. Read more about the action to protect endangered species here!

WASHINGTON STATE HITS 50

This week, Washington AG Bob Ferguson announced his office has sued the Trump administration 50 times! For more on the 50 lawsuits and how AG Ferguson is fighting to protect Washingtonians, check out the release here!

TWEET OF THE WEEK