In Pennsylvania, the elected position of attorney general — aka “the people’s lawyer” and PA’s “chief law enforcement officer” — can lead to much bigger roles. Current Governor Josh Shapiro was PA’s AG. So was former two-time PA Governor Tom Corbett. But this presidential election year, PA’s AG could well have more immediate importance: When acting Attorney General Michelle Henry hands the reins over to her successor in mid-January 2025, her replacement is likely to play a major role in defending — or not defending — the results of Pennsylvanians’ votes in the 2024 election.

The office’s immediate import is just one reason The Philadelphia Citizen and Spotlight PA joined forces to host a live “Ultimate Job Interview” of three attorney general candidates at Pittsburgh’s Point Park University two weeks before Election Day. (Other reasons to pay attention to the race: PA’s AG wields a $144 million annual budget to direct all police and troopers, prosecute organized crime and public corruption, represent PA in legal challenges, administer consumer protection laws and conduct multi-county investigating grand juries.) For those who couldn’t make it across the state, The Citizen hosted a watch party back at home at Philly’s Fitler Club.

When acting Attorney General Michelle Henry hands the reins over to her successor in mid-January 2025, her replacement is likely to play a major role in defending — or not defending — the results of Pennsylvanians’ votes in the 2024 election.

The event also marked the first time third-party candidate, the Forward Party’s Eric Settle, was invited to speak in a public forum with majority party candidates David Sunday, the Republican district attorney of York County, and Eugene DePasquale, the Democratic former state representative and PA auditor general. 

The Citizen first launched its Ultimate Job Interview series in early 2023, during the mayoral primary, as a way to help voters hire the right person for the job of mayor. We continued the series earlier this year with pre-primary job interviews for the Democratic Attorney General candidates. (All Republican candidates declined to participate.)

Rather than discuss the same policy questions, the series aims to get at the skills and experiences that are required to run the office, respond to customers (i.e. residents) and get things done for the betterment of the city and state. Every Voice, Every Vote, a coalition led by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, sponsored the series.

Last week, co-hosts Christopher Baxter, president/CEO of Spotlight PA, and Roxanne Patel Shepelavy, The Citizen’s co-executive director/executive editor, welcomed a respectable crowd to the Pittsburgh venue. In Philly, Citizen Co-founder Larry Platt was joined by State Rep. Jared Solomon, who unsuccessfully ran for AG in the Democratic primary. 

Interviewers were Spotlight PA Government Reporter/Editor Katie Meyer, BEAM Collaborative Vice President of Business Development, James Myers Jr., and Duquesne Light Company Vice President of Communications & Corporate Responsibility, Christine Waller.

Meet the candidates for PA attorney general in the video below:

Every Voice, Every Vote funds Philadelphia media and community organizations to expand access to civic news and information. The coalition is led by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.

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