HARRISBURG — Dave Sunday, the Republican district attorney from York County, won the race to be Pennsylvania’s next attorney general, defeating Democrat Eugene DePasquale to help give Republicans a sweep of state row offices.
Mr. Sunday had earned 51% of the vote, with 92% of votes counted as of 6 a.m. Wednesday. He’s the first Republican to win election to the office since Tom Corbett in 2008.
In his campaign, Mr. Sunday touted his experience as a prosecutor, his leadership of the district attorney’s office, and his appointment as a special U.S. attorney for central Pennsylvania.
Mr. DePasquale, a Pittsburgh resident who previously lived in York County, stressed repeatedly during the campaign his eight-year stint as auditor general as proof that he could lead an office doing complex investigations with statewide reach.
Both Mr. Sunday and Mr. DePasquale expressed during a face-to-face debate that they had no interest in running for governor in the future.
The DePasquale campaign spent $3.6 million compared to $2.2 million for Mr. Sunday during the 35 days ending Oct. 21, although Mr. Sunday benefitted from a large amount of “in-kind” contributions, such as advertising.
Mr. Sunday won the Republican primary in April, beating state Rep. Craig Williams by a margin of more than 70% to 30%.
Mr. Sunday, who is 49 and lives in Spring Garden Township, York County, served four years in the Navy, and later received a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and a law degree from Widener. He worked as a law clerk for the president judge of York County, then joined the York County district attorney’s office as a prosecutor.
In other races, Treasurer Stacy Garrity won her bid for re-election against Democratic challenger Erin McClelland of Harrison.
“This victory belongs to every Pennsylvanian who believes in responsible stewardship of our tax dollars, in transparency, and in a brighter future for our Commonwealth,” Ms. Garrity said in a written statement in declaring victory Tuesday night.
At 6 a.m. Wednesday, Ms. Garrity had earned 52.1% of the vote with 92% of the votes counted.
In the contest for auditor general, incumbent Republican Timothy DeFoor fended off Democratic challenger Malcolm Kenyatta, earning 51.3% of the vote with 92% of votes counted.
Row office races — particularly for treasurer and auditor general — generally get less attention than gubernatorial or presidential contests. But they generate their own audiences, and plenty of money is spent. This year, for instance, the campaigns of the six major-party candidates for the three row offices spent a combined $7.3 million in a 35-day period that ended Oct. 21.
The attorney general job was a stepping stone to the governor’s office for both the Republican Mr. Corbett and current Gov. Josh Shapiro. Current Attorney General Michelle Henry, appointed by Mr. Shapiro to serve out the rest of his term, did not run for the office.
Ms. Garrity was a Republican political newcomer four years ago when she beat incumbent Joe Torsella to become treasurer. Ms. McClelland previously had run multiple times for a seat in Congress.
Their campaigns featured some finger-pointing.
Ms. McClelland criticized Ms. Garrity for being a supporter of current GOP presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump. Ms. Garrity said Ms. McClelland’s public presentations made it “clear she doesn’t understand what the office does.”
Ms. Garrity, who lives in Bradford County, served a full career in the Army Reserve — with three deployments — and also worked full-time at a private firm where she became corporate vice president. Ms. McClelland, who lives in Harrison, previously worked in multiple counties doing substance abuse and mental health counseling.
Ms. Garrity outspent Ms. McClelland in the recent 35-day stretch by a huge margin, $817,853 to $7,100.
While Ms. Garrity was unopposed in the Republican primary, Ms. McClelland defeated sitting state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro in the Democratic primary — a contest that many had expected Mr. Bizzarro to win.
In the auditor general’s race, Mr. DeFoor, who lives in Dauphin County, won the job in 2020 by beating Democrat Nina Ahmad. Mr. Kenyatta, a Philadelphia resident who was running for his seat in the state House at the same time he was seeking the auditor general’s job, has served in the House for six years. He made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate in 2022.
Mr. DeFoor said he was the first person of color to be elected to a statewide office in Pennsylvania. Mr. Kenyatta said among other things that he was the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to be a state lawmaker.
A theme in Mr. Kenyatta’s campaign was his statement that, if elected, it would allow “the underdog to become the watchdog” for Pennsylvania residents. He promised various reforms, including demands for more accountability from schools, including cyber charter schools.
Mr. DeFoor said he has worked continuously to improve the function of the office, creating the first “workforce development team” and changing how audits are performed and written. He said he was particularly proud of his work to improve financial literacy.
Mr. Kenyatta vastly outspent Mr. DeFoor in the recent, 35-day stretch, $632,500 to $5,843.
First Published: November 6, 2024, 8:08 a.m.
Updated: November 6, 2024, 8:06 p.m.
