2022 District of Columbia Attorney General election
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 Precinct results Schwalb: >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2022 District of Columbia Attorney General election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the next attorney general for the District of Columbia. This was the third attorney general election in D.C. history.
Incumbent attorney general Karl Racine had declined to run for reelection.[1]
Democratic primary
A Democratic primary was held on June 21, 2022. Incumbent attorney general Karl Racine was considered likely to run for mayor or reelection as attorney general and even filed paperwork in 2020, but announced he would not run for any office in October 2021.[1]
According to District election law, an candidate for Attorney General must have been actively engaged as an attorney in the District for at least five of the previous ten years. In late March 2022, candidate Bruce Spiva filed a challenge with the Board of Elections in which he claimed frontrunner Kenyan McDuffie was ineligible to run for the position. The challenge said that McDuffie did not spend at least five of the previous ten years actively engaged as an attorney. McDuffie responded, saying he is an attorney and that his work as a Councilmember since 2012 should count toward the requirement.[2] On April 18, the Board of Elections upheld Spiva's challenge, and it ruled that McDuffie was ineligible to run for the office.[3] McDuffie requested a rehearing, but the D.C. Court of Appeals denied his request.[4]
Candidates
Declared
- Ryan Jones, attorney from Brightwood[5]
- Brian Schwalb, attorney from Chevy Chase[6]
- Bruce Spiva, attorney from Crestwood[7]
Disqualified
- Kenyan McDuffie, Councilmember for Ward 5 (2012–present)[8][3]
Declined
- Karl Racine, incumbent Attorney General for the District of Columbia (since 2015)[1]
Endorsements
Ryan Jones
- Vincent Orange, former at-large Councilperson (2011–2016) and Councilperson for Ward 5 (1999–2007)[9]
Kenyan McDuffie (Disqualified)
- AFSCME District 20[10]
- LiUNA Baltimore-Washington Laborers’ District Council[11]
SEIU 32BJ(Switched endorsement to Spiva after McDuffie was disqualified.)[11]- UNITE HERE Local 25[11]
Brian Schwalb
Individuals
- Charles Allen, councilperson from Ward 6 (2015–present)[9]
- Irvin B. Nathan, Last unelected Attorney General for the District of Columbia (2011–2014)[6]
- Karl Racine, incumbent Attorney General for the District of Columbia (since 2015)[12]
Organizations
Bruce Spiva
Individuals
- John Capozzi, former Shadow Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1995–1997) and member of the District of Columbia Democratic State Committee[16]
- Ed Lazere, candidate for Council of the District of Columbia in 2018[17]
- Lorie Masters, attorney and candidate for Attorney General in 2014[16]
- Donald B. Verrilli Jr., former Solicitor General of the United States (2011–2016) [18]
Organizations
Debates and forums
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn | |||||||||||||
| Jones | McDuffie | Schwalb | Spiva | ||||||||||
| 1 | Mar 5, 2022 | Ward 7 Democrats | Dionna Lewis | P | P | P | P | ||||||
| 2 | Apr 26, 2022 | League of Women Voters/GWU | Dayna Bowen Matthew | P | N | P | P | ||||||
| 3 | May 11, 2022 | District of Columbia Bar | Keith Alexander Sam Ford |
YouTube | P | N | P | P | |||||
Results
Schwalb
- Schwalb—30–40%
- Schwalb—40-50%
- Schwalb—50-60%
- Schwalb—60-70%
Spiva
- Spiva—30–40%
Jones
- Jones—30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brian Schwalb | 54,399 | 45.35 | |
| Democratic | Bruce V. Spiva | 44,198 | 36.85 | |
| Democratic | Ryan L. Jones | 20,518 | 17.11 | |
| Democratic | Write-in | 827 | 0.69 | |
| Total votes | 119,942 | 100 | ||
| n/a | Overvotes | 123 | ||
| n/a | Undervotes | 8,266 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brian Schwalb | 177,126 | 97.51% | |
| Independent | Write-in | 4,516 | 2.49% | |
| Total votes | 181,642 | 100% | ||
| n/a | Overvotes | 123 | ||
| n/a | Undervotes | 23,647 | ||
References
- ^ a b c Brice-Saddler, Michael (October 12, 2021). "D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine will not seek elective office in 2022". Washington Post. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael (March 29, 2022). "Spiva challenges McDuffie's eligibility in D.C. attorney general race". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Brice-Saddler, Michael (April 18, 2022). "McDuffie ineligible to run for D.C. attorney general, elections board says". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ "Rehearing request denied in Kenyan McDuffie's latest attempt to get back on DC AG ballot". Fox 5 News. April 30, 2022.
- ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael (April 26, 2021). "Ryan Jones, a local lawyer, declares candidacy for D.C. attorney general". Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Brice-Saddler, Michael (December 13, 2021). "Lawyer Brian Schwalb to run for D.C. Attorney General". Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael (November 11, 2021). "Bruce V. Spiva, longtime D.C. lawyer, will run for city attorney general". Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael (October 21, 2021). "D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie running for attorney general". Washington Post. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Koma, Alex (June 7, 2022). "City Paper Primary Prep: With McDuffie Gone, Is the 2022 Attorney General Race Schwalb's to Lose?". Washington City Paper. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ Wright Jr., James (March 21, 2022). "McDuffie Gets Major Labor Nod in D.C. Attorney General Race". The Washington Informer. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c "McDuffie Gets Three New Labor Endorsements in Bid for D.C. AG". The Washington Informer. April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael (March 10, 2022). "Karl Racine endorses Brian Schwalb in D.C. attorney general's race". Washington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "Press Release: EAS Carpenters in DC Endorse Brian Schwalb for DC AG". May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Wright Jr., James (April 13, 2022). "Key Endorsements, Signature Challenges Dominate Current D.C. Political Campaigns". The Washington Informer. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ "The Post endorses Brian Schwalb for D.C. attorney general". May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ a b "Endorsements". Bruce Spiva for DC Attorney General. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c Koma, Alex (May 12, 2022). "Schwalb, Spiva Jockey for Progressive Support in the Upended Attorney General Race". Washington City Paper. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ Brice-Saddler, Michael; Zauzmer Weil, Julie (May 16, 2022). "A guide to the 2022 D.C. Democratic primaries". Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "Primary Election 2022 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ "General Election 2022 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. November 30, 2022. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.