WASHINGTON, DC – In a one-on-one interview with MeidasTouch Network’s Legal AF, President of the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) Sean Rankin highlights how democratic attorneys general have become increasingly significant in upholding our democracy under the Trump administration and why it is vital to elect Democratic AGs in the upcoming midterms.

“As you know, AGs have become more of a force nationally. They have got a broader voice, a bigger voice. And they’re playing more of a role,” Rankin said. “We really do see the AGs as that one lever on power to hold Trump accountable. So if you actually believe – and I do – that what this federal government is doing breaks the rule of law regularly, the only group of people who’ve been able to hold him accountable for the past 18 months are the Democratic attorneys general.

Key highlights:

• “[Democratic AGs] are the last line of defense in making sure that election results are protected. It is a real partnership with secretaries of state, but when a secretary of state sees that there’s a problem, that first call they make is to an attorney general to say ‘I need your help, here’s the problem I’m facing, go.’ And it’s the AGs who actually go step into court to make sure that any obstruction of justice is being addressed.”
• “At this point, AGs are on the phone communicating with each other, on Zoom, communicating with each other as much as every day depending upon what’s actually happening. So, there is this ongoing dialogue that they have with each other and they actually work through most of these elements.”
• “I think I think one of the things the AGs have learned is they’re a pretty powerful force when they work together and they’ve done a great job of that. At this point, we’re 130 suits against the Trump administration, of those that have settled out, we’ve won more than 80% of those. It’s in fact consistent with the first administration…there’s that institutional knowledge and there’s just the practice of, ‘How do you actually engage with other colleagues at this rate to manage the work?’”
• “Project 2025 told us where [Republicans] were going and they’ve told us where they’re going. They continue to say where they’re going on elections. So they’re telling us what they’re going to do. We have a responsibility to make sure that we’re actually prepared for that.”
• “Well, I love our slate this year. We do feel like we’ve got the wind at our back, but we’ve also got people who are running really well. So, of the number of states that I mentioned, we really are focusing on eight, but I will say that the number is actually starting to grow. There are other states that are coming on.”
• “But don’t count Ohio and Florida out yet. We’re really starting to see some progress there […] You got to move, less than 60 days, but I’m excited about them.”

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