June 22, 2018

August 27, 2018

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

IMMIGRATION WATCH: As the nation grapples with the tragic reality of the Trump administration’s“zero-tolerance” policy and the separation of asylum-seeking families and children, Democratic AGs stepped in to demand an end to the cruel policy.

• On Thursday, Washington AG Bob Ferguson announced he will lead a coalition of states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its policy of separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the president’s executive order does not resolve the issue. The suit will allege that the Trump administration violated the due process rights of parents and children who were separated at the border. Ferguson called the policy “arbitrary and capricious” and “irrationally discriminatory” because it targets individuals near the southern U.S. border. For more on the multi-state suit, check out this piece in The Hill.

• On Tuesday, New Mexico AG Hector Balderas led a coalition of 21 Democratic AGs in demanding Attorney General Jeff Sessions and DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen reverse the “zero-tolerance” policy of separating children from their parents. “The U.S. Justice Department is ignoring its legal and moral obligation for the sake of a political agenda at the expense of children and the efforts of state law enforcement officials combating crimes like human trafficking, drug trafficking and gang violence which operate across international borders,” AG Balderas noted. Catch AG Balderas’ recap of the effort on MSNBC’s Morning Joe here.

[Screenshot of Morning Joe Round Table}

• Democratic AG candidates jumped in on the issue as well in response to the shocking silence of their opponents. Texas candidate Justin Nelson held a press conference announcing that if he was the AG, he would have sued the President and he spent time supporting work being done in McAllen, TX facilities this week. Florida candidate Sean Shaw held a press conference of his own outside of a detention facility, explaining the importance of keeping families together.Arizona candidate January Contreras, Illinois candidate Kwame Raoul, and Wisconsin candidate Josh Kaul also released statements condemning the Trump administration policy.

BLUE WAVE 2018: In Governing’s latest AG handicapping, the seats that are the most vulnerablecurrently belong to the GOP. The analysis notes that “[in] a neutral environment, this would suggest the Democrats could expect to gain a couple of seats. But if there’s a Democratic wave, the party might win even more than that, perhaps enough to turn an overall Republican lead in AG seats into a Democratic one.” Read the full analysis here.

STATEWATCH: KENTUCKY VICTORY: Kentucky AG Andy Beshear scored a victory in the battle to defend teachers and other public-sector employees’ pensions this week. A Franklin Circuit Court judge ruled that the manner in which legislators passed the controversial SB 151 violated safeguards to ensure legislators and the public can know the content of bills. Praising the ruling, AG Beshear noted “[this] decision is a win for open, honest government, ruling that the Kentucky General Assembly violated the Constitution when it turned an 11-page sewer bill into a 291-page pension bill.” Read more in the Lexington Herald Leader here.

ELECTIONS UPDATE: 135 days ‘til Election Day 2018!

COLORADO: Ahead of the Colorado primary next week, DAGA released a poll of Colorado voters, which shows both Democratic primary candidates for AG, Phil Weiser and Joe Salazar, leading the Republican opponent George Brauchler by 12-points. These results show that Colorado is more than primed to swing the Colorado Attorney General seat back into the Democratic fold. Full poll conducted by Clarity Campaign Labs linked here.

ILLINOIS: A recent Capitol Fax poll shows IL candidate Kwame Raoul beating his GOP challengerErika Harold 44-35.

MAINE: Congratulations to Maine AG Janet Mills for her victory in the first-ever ranked choice voting Democratic Gubernatorial primary in Maine! Check out the DAGA statement linked here.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: DAGA Co-chair and District of Columbia AG Karl Racine enjoyed a resounding victory in his primary on Tuesday. Despite the 8,000 undervote in the AG race, AG Racine received 9,000 more votes than any other Democratic candidate!

ENDORSEMENT UPDATES:

• Nevada candidate Aaron Ford was endorsed by the Operating Engineers Local 12 union, as well as the IUPAT Local 15 union this week.

• Congratulations to Sean Shaw of Florida who received the endorsement of the Florida Education Association!

• January Contreras in Arizona secured the endorsement of the National Latino Peace Officers Organization.

• Minnesota candidate Keith Ellison secured the endorsement of the LIUNA Minnesota & North Dakota Union and the UFCW Local 1189 union.

• In Colorado, Phil Weiser received the endorsement of Governor John Hickenlooper.

UPCOMING PRIMARY & CONVENTION DATES:

• June 26: Colorado, Maryland, and Oklahoma primaries. South Carolina runoffs.

Democratic Attorneys General Association

June 22, 2018

Our democracy can't wait.