# 2016 United States attorney general elections

The 2016 United States attorney general elections were held on November 8, 2016, in 10 states. The previous attorney general elections for eight of the 10 states took place in 2012. The last attorney general elections for Utah and Vermont took place in 2014, as Utah held a special election due to the resignation of John Swallow, while the attorney general of Vermont serves two-year terms. The elections took place concurrently with the 2016 presidential election, elections to the House of Representatives and Senate, and numerous state and local elections.
Six state attorneys general ran for reelection and four did not. Missouri was only state that changed partisan control, where Republican Josh Hawley won the open seat, replacing outgoing Democrat Chris Koster. The four other open seats were won by the party which previously held the office, and all five incumbents who ran won re-election. Republicans expanded their majority control of popularly elected state attorneys general.

## Results summary

| State | Attorney General | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
| Indiana | Greg Zoeller | Republican | 2008 | Incumbent retired to run for U.S. Representative. New attorney general elected. Republican hold. | Y Curtis Hill (Republican) 62.3% Lorenzo Arredondo (Democratic) 37.7% |
| Missouri | Chris Koster | Democratic | 2008 | Incumbent retired to run for Governor of Missouri. New attorney general elected. Republican gain. | Y Josh Hawley (Republican) 58.5% Teresa Hensley (Democratic) 41.5% |
| Montana | Tim Fox | Republican | 2012 | Incumbent re-elected. | Y Tim Fox (Republican) 67.8% Larry Jent (Democratic) 32.3% |
| North Carolina | Roy Cooper | Democratic | 2000 | Incumbent retired to run for Governor of North Carolina. New attorney general elected. Democratic hold. | Y Josh Stein (Democratic) 50.3% Buck Newton (Republican) 49.7% |
| Oregon | Ellen Rosenblum | Democratic | 2012 | Incumbent re-elected. | Y Ellen Rosenblum (Democratic) 55.2% Daniel Crowe (Republican) 41.4% Lars Hedbor (Libertarian) 3.2% |
| Pennsylvania | Bruce Beemer | Democratic | 2016 | Incumbent retired. New attorney general elected. Democratic hold. | Y Josh Shapiro (Democratic) 51.4% John Rafferty Jr. (Republican) 48.6% |
| Utah | Sean Reyes | Republican | 2013 | Incumbent re-elected. | Y Sean Reyes (Republican) 65.4% Jon Harper (Democratic) 25.1% Andrew McCullough (Libertarian) 6.7% Michael Isbell (Ind. American) 2.8% |
| Vermont | William Sorrell | Democratic | 1997 | Incumbent retired. New attorney general elected. Democratic hold. | Y T. J. Donovan (Democratic) 66.6% Deborah Bucknam (Republican) 29.4% Rosemarie Jackowski (Liberty Union) 4.0% |
| Washington | Bob Ferguson | Democratic | 2012 | Incumbent re-elected. | Y Bob Ferguson (Democratic) 66.9% Joshua Trumbull (Libertarian) 32.8% |
| West Virginia | Patrick Morrisey | Republican | 2012 | Incumbent re-elected. | Y Patrick Morrisey (Republican) 51.6% Doug Reynolds (Democratic) 42.0% Karl Kolenich (Libertarian) 3.5% Michael Sharley (Mountain) 3.0% |

### Closest races

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:
* North Carolina, 0.4% (20,232 votes)
States where the margin of victory was under 5%:
* Pennsylvania, 2.8% (165,685 votes)
States where the margin of victory was under 10%:
* West Virginia, 9.7% (67,192 votes)

## Indiana

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Greg Zoeller declined to run for a third term in order to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans chose Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill over former Attorney General Steve Carter, state senator Randall Head, and Deputy Attorney General Abby Kuzma at the Republican state convention on June 11. Democrats nominated Lorenzo Arredondo, former Lake County Circuit Judge. Hill won the election.
Indiana general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Curtis Hill | 1,643,689 | 62.31 |
| | Democratic | Lorenzo Arredondo | 994,085 | 37.69 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,637,774 | 100.00 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

## Missouri

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster chose not to run for re-election to a third term, but instead ran for Governor of Missouri.
Former Cass County prosecuting attorney Tereasa Hensley was nominated in the Democratic primary over St. Louis County assessor Jake Zimmerman. State senator Scott Sifton also announced his candidacy, but withdrew before the primary in order to run for re-election. The Republican nominee was MU law professor Josh Hawley, who was nominated over state senator Kurt Schaefer.
Although early polling showed a tighter race, Hawley won the election by a wide margin, becoming the first Republican attorney general since William L. Webster left office in 1993.
Missouri Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Teresa Hensley | 167,626 | 52.72 |
| | Democratic | Jake Zimmerman | 150,322 | 47.28 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 317,948 | 100.00 |
Missouri Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Josh Hawley | 415,702 | 64.22 |
| | Republican | Kurt Schaefer | 231,657 | 35.79 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 647,359 | 100.00 |
Missouri general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Josh Hawley | 1,607,550 | 58.50 |
| | Democratic | Teresa Hensley | 1,140,252 | 41.50 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,747,802 | 100.00 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

## Montana

Incumbent Republican Tim Fox ran for re-election to a second term and was unopposed in the Republican primary. The Democratic nominee was state senator Larry Jent, who also ran for the nomination unopposed. Fox easily won re-election.
Montana Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Tim Fox (incumbent) | 140,173 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 140,173 | 100.00 |
Montana Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Larry Jent | 102,171 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 102,171 | 100.00 |
Montana general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Tim Fox (incumbent) | 332,766 | 67.67 |
| | Democratic | Larry Jent | 158,970 | 32.33 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 491,736 | 100.00 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

## North Carolina

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper chose not to run for re-election to a fifth term in office, but instead successfully ran for Governor.
Primary elections were held on March 15. Democratic former state senator Josh Stein defeated Republican state senator Buck Newton in the general election.
North Carolina Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Josh Stein | 510,003 | 53.37 |
| | Democratic | Marcus Williams | 445,524 | 46.63 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 955,527 | 100.00 |
North Carolina Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Buck Newton | 503,880 | 54.89 |
| | Republican | Jim O'Neill | 414,073 | 45.11 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 917,953 | 100.00 |
North Carolina general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Josh Stein | 2,303,619 | 50.27 |
| | Republican | Buck Newton | 2,279,006 | 49.73 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,582,625 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## Oregon

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum ran for re-election to a second full term. She won the election over Republican nominee Daniel Zene Crowe.
Oregon general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ellen Rosenblum (incumbent) | 1,011,761 | 54.97 |
| | Republican | Daniel Zene Crowe | 766,753 | 41.66 |
| | Libertarian | Lars Hedbor | 58,609 | 3.18 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 3,507 | 0.19 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,840,630 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## Pennsylvania

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Kathleen Kane originally indicated her intention to seek re-election, but dropped out after she was criminally charged with violating grand jury secrecy laws stemming from alleged leaks of grand jury investigation details to embarrass a political enemy. Inspector General Bruce Beemer was appointed to fill out the remainder of her term, although he did not seek election to a full term.
Democratic candidates included Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, Montgomery County Board of Supervisors chair Josh Shapiro, and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala. The Republican primary was between two candidates: state senator John Rafferty Jr. and former prosecutor Joe Peters. Shapiro and Rafferty won their respective primaries.
Governing rated this election as a tossup. Shapiro narrowly defeated Rafferty in the general election.
Pennsylvania Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Josh Shapiro | 725,168 | 47.03 |
| | Democratic | Stephen Zappala | 566,501 | 36.74 |
| | Democratic | John Morganelli | 250,097 | 16.22 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,541,766 | 100.00 |
Pennsylvania Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John Rafferty Jr. | 819,510 | 63.82 |
| | Republican | Joe Peters | 464,491 | 36.18 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,284,001 | 100.00 |
Pennsylvania general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Josh Shapiro | 3,057,010 | 51.39 |
| | Republican | John Rafferty Jr. | 2,891,325 | 48.61 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,948,335 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## Utah

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Sean Reyes ran for re-election to a full term after serving the remainder of John Swallow's term. He easily won the general election, defeating Democratic nominee Jon Harper and Libertarian nominee Andrew McCullogh.
Utah general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Sean Reyes (incumbent) | 719,064 | 65.41 |
| | Democratic | Jon Harper | 275,571 | 25.07 |
| | Libertarian | Andrew McCullough | 73,975 | 6.73 |
| | Independent American | Michael Isbell | 30,687 | 2.79 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,099,297 | 100.00 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

## Vermont

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General William Sorrell, the state's longest-serving Attorney General (since 1997), did not run for re-election. Democratic nominee T.J. Donovan won the general election.
Vermont Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | T. J. Donovan | 49,017 | 80.16 |
| | Democratic | H. Brooke Paige | 11,917 | 19.49 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 214 | 0.35 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 61,148 | 100.00 |
Vermont Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Deborah Bucknam | 31,173 | 95.48 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 1,477 | 4.52 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 32,650 | 100.00 |
Vermont general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | T. J. Donovan | 200,020 | 66.56 |
| | Republican | Deborah Bucknam | 88,431 | 29.43 |
| | Liberty Union | Rosemarie Jackowski | 11,844 | 3.94 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 202 | 0.07 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 300,497 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## Washington

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson sought re-election, opposed by Joshua B. Trumbull, who ran as a Libertarian. In the general election, Ferguson won re-election to a second term, defeating Trumbull.
Washington blanket primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bob Ferguson (incumbent) | 906,493 | 72.61 |
| | Libertarian | Joshua B. Trumbull | 341,932 | 27.39 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,248,425 | 100.00 |
Washington general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bob Ferguson (incumbent) | 2,000,804 | 66.93 |
| | Libertarian | Joshua B. Trumbull | 979,105 | 32.75 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 9,567 | 0.32 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,989,476 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## West Virginia

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey ran for re-election to a second term. He faced Democratic state delegate Doug Reynolds in the general election, with both being unopposed in their respective primaries. Morrisey won the general election.
West Virginia Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Patrick Morrisey (incumbent) | 157,369 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 157,369 | 100.00 |
West Virginia Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Doug Reynolds | 187,786 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 187,786 | 100.00 |
West Virginia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Patrick Morrisey (incumbent) | 358,424 | 51.64 |
| | Democratic | Doug Reynolds | 291,232 | 41.96 |
| | Libertarian | Karl Kolenich | 24,023 | 3.46 |
| | Mountain | Michael Sharley | 20,475 | 2.95 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 694,154 | 100.00 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |