Current:Home > reviewsDemocratic Philadelphia state lawmaker joins race for Pennsylvania attorney general -FutureWise Finance
Democratic Philadelphia state lawmaker joins race for Pennsylvania attorney general
Ethermac View
Date:2025-04-08 16:36:29
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic state lawmaker Jared Solomon said Tuesday that he will run in next year’s election for Pennsylvania attorney general, an office that has played a big role in fighting drug trafficking, suing opioid makers and defending the battleground state’s 2020 presidential election.
Solomon, who is from Philadelphia, is the fourth Democratic candidate to join the race for the state’s top law enforcement office, which will be vacant after the 2024 election.
Solomon said he would be an attorney general who can draw on his experience running a neighborhood-improvement group, practicing anti-trust law and going against political machines.
“This is taking it to a larger level and projecting that vision and experience and work ethic and fight for the whole commonwealth,” Solomon said in an interview.
Solomon, 44, was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2016 after beating out a 42-year Democratic incumbent. He previously joined the Army, became a defense lawyer in the Pennsylvania National Guard and worked as a lawyer in private practice.
In the state House this year, he supported major legislation brought up by Democratic leadership, including a measure to raise the state minimum wage to $15 by 2026, broaden protections for LGBTQ+ people and let authorities temporarily seize someone’s firearms in an effort to prevent suicide deaths, domestic violence and day-to-day violence.
Before that, he became the House Democrats’ appointee in a Republican effort to impeach Philadelphia’s twice-elected district attorney, Larry Krasner. Solomon called the GOP impeachment bid an “anti-democratic move to deny the votes of thousands of Philadelphians.”
Three other Democrats — former state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former federal prosecutor Joe Kahn and Keir Bradford-Grey, the former head of Philadelphia’s public defense lawyers — already announced their candidacy for the Democratic nomination.
York County District Attorney Dave Sunday announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination.
The attorney general’s office has a budget of about $120 million annually and has played a critical role in arresting drug traffickers, fighting gun trafficking, defending state laws in court and protecting consumers from predatory practices.
The office helped lead state attorneys general in settlement talks with pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers over the opioid crisis. It also played a central role in defending the integrity of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election against repeated attempts to overturn it in state and federal courts by former President Donald Trump’s campaign and Republican allies.
Democrats have won the last three elections for attorney general.
The last elected attorney general was Democrat Josh Shapiro, who was elected last year to be governor. Shapiro stepped down as attorney general in January when he was sworn in as governor and appointed his top deputy, Michelle Henry, to finish the last two years of his term as attorney general.
Henry, a former Bucks County prosecutor, has said she does not plan to run for the office. Her term expires in January 2025.
___
Follow Marc Levy on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: @timelywriter
veryGood! (62296)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- San Diego County to pay nearly $15M to family of pregnant woman who died in jail 5 years ago
- US Prisons and Jails Exposed to an Increasing Number of Hazardous Heat Days, Study Says
- Officer who killed Tamir Rice leaves new job in West Virginia
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Oklahoma police officer shot after responding to report of armed man
- Biden administration proposes rule to protect workers from extreme heat
- Darrell Christian, former AP managing editor and sports editor, dies at 75
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Supreme Court declines to review Illinois assault weapons ban, leaving it in place
Ranking
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- 16-year-old Quincy Wilson becomes youngest American male track Olympian ever
- Eva Amurri Claps Back at Critics Scandalized By Her Wedding Dress Cleavage
- JoJo Siwa Curses Out Fans After Getting Booed at NYC Pride
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Highlights from Supreme Court term: Rulings on Trump, regulation, abortion, guns and homelessness
- Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz charged with weapons violation at Virginia airport
- Long time coming. Oklahoma's move to the SEC was 10 years in the making
Recommendation
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Proof Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley's Romance Is Worthy of an Award
Goodbye Warriors, thanks for the memories. Klay Thompson's departure spells dynasty's end
Attorneys face deadline to wrap Jan. 6 prosecutions. That could slide if Trump wins
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
NHL free agency highlights: Predators, Devils, others busy on big-spending day
Rainbow Family still searching for Northern California meeting site for '10,000 hippies'
The US will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA pandemic flu vaccine