DAGA Download – February 19
February 19, 2021
ON THE TRAIL
VA ENDORSEMENT CORNER
Virginia AG Mark Herring has received another endorsement in his campaign for re-election. Congressman Don Beyer announced his support of AG Herring in a video this week. In the video, Congressman Beyer outlined AG Herring’s record of fighting for marriage equality, taking on the Trump administration, and protecting DREAMers. Congressman Beyer stated, “Mark’s shown Virginia what bold strong leadership can do for the people of our state. Simply the best Attorney General Virginia has ever had.” Watch the full endorsement video below:
BONUS: AG Herring also announced he received the endorsement of 28 local officials, including five sitting mayors. Read their endorsements here.
MULTISTATE MOMENTS
ADVOCATING FOR EQUAL RIGHTS
DAGA Co-Chair Nevada AG Aaron Ford, Illinois AG Kwame Raoul, and Virginia AG Mark Herring spoke with Carol Jenkins, President and CEO of the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition, about the importance of advancing equality. During the webinar, the Democratic AGs reaffirmed their support for the Equal Rights Amendment. This comes at the one-year anniversary of Virginia becoming the 38th and final state needed to ratify the ERA. AG Ford, AG Raoul, and AG Herring also filed a lawsuit at the end of last January in an effort to “compel the [Trump administration’s] archivist, David Ferriero, to carry out his statutory duty of recognizing the complete and final adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.” Read more here.
ADVOCATING FOR WORKERS
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Democratic AGs have teamed up to ensure the protection of workers during these extraordinary times. Dem AGs have tackled issues from employee misclassification and wage theft to workplace safety and conditions. California AG Xavier Becerra announced a new Worker Rights and Fair Labor Section in the California DOJ. DAGA Co-Chair Massachusetts AG Maura Healey announced that her office devoted additional resources to address unsafe working conditions by implementing mandatory safety standards that are applicable to all workplaces. Virginia AG Mark Herring announced that Virginia was the first state in the United States to adopt permanent COVID-19 workplace safety and health standards. Democratic AGs are committed to protecting workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Read more about Dem AGs’ commitment to workers in Bloomberg here.
ADVOCATING FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS
DAGA Co-Chair Massachusetts AG Maura Healey and New York AG Tish James led a coalition of Democratic AGs in a letter urging President Joe Biden to use his executive action authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt. AG Healey tweeted, “for years, we have fought for struggling student borrowers—how much longer do they need to wait to get the relief they deserve?” Read the full letter here.
AG SPOTLIGHT
STANDING UP FOR VOTERS
This week, Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro spoke with MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin about Pennsylvanian Republicans’ attempts to disenfranchise voters following the 2020 election. AG Shapiro stated, “They will fail. This will not be successful. And we need to make it easier for people to cast their lawful votes, not harder.” In the conversation, AG Shapiro outlined how their proposals would undermine democracy saying, “What they’re really trying to do is rig the system in a way that throws out the delicate checks and balances that exists in our Commonwealth today.” Watch the full conversation here.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
DAGA sat down with Illinois AG Kwame Raoul to talk about his experience running for office, and how important our national conversation about race, justice, and equity really is. Stay tuned for more conversations with our Black Democratic AGs throughout Black History Month. Watch the full video below:
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
District of Columbia AG Karl Racine and New Jersey AG Gurbir Grewal had a conversation recently, Take 30: A Pioneer of Progressive Police Reforms, about the police reform efforts that are currently taking place in New Jersey. They spoke about the “use of force” policy and emphasized New Jersey’s policy to respect each life. AG Grewal stated that the reforms will include professional training for 38,000 police officers in New Jersey to eliminate implicit bias and that his office has held sessions with both police unions and outside organizations to rebuild trust and transparency. AG Grewal also shared his office’s success diverting juveniles from being in the system. AG Grewal said, “The number one principle that we start this policy from is respecting the life and the dignity of the person you’re interacting with.” Read more about Dem AGs transforming policing here. Watch the conversation below:
