The 2018 New York Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018. New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, a Democrat, was elected. James is the first woman and the first African-American to be elected New York Attorney General.
Former attorney general Eric Schneiderman resigned on May 8, 2018, after allegations of domestic abuse and withdrew from his then-ongoing reelection campaign. Incumbent solicitor general Barbara Underwood was chosen by the legislature to complete her unexpired term, but opted not to seek election to a full term.
On September 13, 2018, James won the Democratic nomination for attorney general, defeating Leecia Eve, former senior policy advisor to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton; Sean Patrick Maloney, U.S. Representative for New York's 18th congressional district; and Zephyr Teachout, professor at Fordham University School of Law. In the general election, James defeated Republican Party candidate Keith Wofford with over 60% of the vote.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, was first elected to the office of Attorney General in 2010, winning reelection in 2014. He was in the midst of campaigning for a third term in office when on May 7, 2018, The New Yorker revealed allegations that he had physically abused several women he had dated during his tenure in office.[1] Schneiderman resigned hours after the story was released, with the resignation taking effect at the end of the business day May 8; he did not seek re-election.[2][3][4]
Barbara Underwood, the solicitor general, took on the duties of Attorney General upon Schneiderman's resignation. A joint session of the New York State Legislature formally appointed Underwood to fill the rest of Schneiderman's term on May 22, after interviewing several potential candidates; of the 209 members in the State Legislature, 190 votes were cast in favor, with one (Charles Barron) voting against her in protest of the process, and 18 abstaining.[5] Underwood confirmed that she would not run for the office in the 2018 elections,[6] and returned to her previous position as solicitor general following the election.[7]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Filed
The following candidates were certified by the State Board of Elections as having filed for the primary ballot (James by state convention nomination and the others by submitting sufficient signatures):[8]
Manny Alicandro, corporate attorney from Manhattan[44] (ended Attorney General campaign in May 2018 to run for Comptroller)[42]
Joe Holland, former Commissioner of the New York Department of Housing and Community Renewal (defeated for Republican nomination; endorsed Republican nominee Keith Wofford)[42]
Declined
John P. Cahill, Republican nominee for attorney general in 2014 and former aide to Governor George Pataki[44]
Nominee: Letitia James.[54] The party endorsed both Letitia James and Zephyr Teachout prior to the September 13 primary election.[55] Kenneth Schaefer, who was nominated as the Working Families Party's dummy candidate,[56] withdrew by October 9 in favor of Democratic nominee Letitia James.[57]
Independence Party
Nominee: Letitia James.[57] Victor J. Messina, Jr., the original nominee,[58][59] withdrew by October 9 as well.[57]
Green Party
Nominee: Michael Sussman
Reform
On May 20, 2018, the Reform Party of New York State authorized four candidates to run for attorney general in its September 13, 2018 primary:
Letitia James (D) went on to easily win the election, with 62% of the vote versus Wofford's (R) 35%.[64] James became the first woman and the first African-American to be elected New York Attorney General.[65]
^"Eric Schneiderman for Attorney General". Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2017. Official campaign site of the incumbent Democratic candidate in 2018 for New York's Attorney General.
^2018 Libertarian Candidate for Attorney General, Nominated for AG by the 2018 NY Libertarian Convention [1]Archived 2018-05-26 at the Wayback Machine; 2006 Libertarian candidate for Attorney General of New York (see New York gubernatorial election, 2006); 1998 Libertarian candidate for Governor of New York (see New York gubernatorial elections); Libertarian candidate for District Attorney, Suffolk, 2009, 2013, 2017 [2]Archived 2018-05-26 at the Wayback Machine; 2015 Conservative Candidate for Justice of the Supreme Court 12th Judicial District [3] Bd of Elections 2015, [4] 2003, [5] 2002, [6] 2001, [7] 2000.
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