As former President Donald Trump staked out his return to the White House and Republicans reclaimed control of the Senate on Tuesday night, the GOP gained ground in another set of races that have the potential to transform the nation’s environmental agenda.
A Pennsylvania Republican beat out a Democrat for attorney general, installing GOP officials in 29 state attorney general offices nationwide, compared to 23 held by Democrats. While political majorities in those offices don’t matter the same way they do in Congress, they can help states and territories build more robust coalitions in court against their opponents in the White House.
“It’s important for people to realize just how powerful state AGs are these days, both within their state and nationally,” said Paul Nolette, director of Marquette University’s Les Aspin Center for Government. “They’re going to play a role in the upcoming Trump 2 presidency.”
With a Republican as president, Democratic state attorneys general are expected to once again ramp up their legal challenges, as they did during the first Trump administration. Blue states enjoyed an 83 percent win rate during those four years, according to data compiled by Nolette.
