WASHINGTON, DC – Since the second Trump administration, the role of state attorneys general has been propelled into the spotlight as Democratic AGs are the only group of elected officials successfully holding the administration accountable for its lawless actions. In an article by AP’s Geoff Mulvihill, he highlights the growing attention to state AG races in 2026, including how the importance of early and heavy investment can shape the American political landscape.

In 2025, the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) raised “$28 million, twice as much as usual at this stage of the election cycle,” in preparation for 2026. DAGA’s President Sean Rankin told AP Democratic AGs “are ‘the only lever to hold Trump accountable’ because Congress is compliant and controlled by Republicans.”

Key highlights:

• “‘Because we try to solve so many of our problems with lawsuits, the office of attorney general has become more important,’ said James Tierney, a former Maine attorney general…”
• “More than a year after Trump returned to office, Democratic officials have a lot of practice at this. By the tally of the Progressive State Leaders Committee, an arm of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, they have filed more than 80 lawsuits against the administration and have had favorable rulings in the majority of them.”
• “Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who won the seat in 2022 by just 280 votes, said in an interview that the lawsuits against the administration — her office has joined 38 — have saved Arizona $1.5 billion, including by keeping money flowing for programs in AmeriCorps, Head Start and universities.”
• “‘If you don’t have an attorney general who is willing to stand up to the federal government,’ [AG Mayes] said, ‘your state is going to get hurt.’”

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