DePasquale and Sunday face off in Pennsylvania’s first prosecutors general debate

The Democratic and Republican candidates for Pennsylvania attorney general faced each other in a Thursday debate for the first time before the general election.

Former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat, and York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, a Republican, spent an hour discussing a wide range of issues on the show WGAL.

“First, we have to make sure we protect our democracy,” DePasquale said in response to a question about what would be his top priority if elected. “It is clearly at risk and we must also ensure that our democracy works for everyone.”

DePasquale said the next attorney general will be tasked with prosecuting lawsuits to protect everyone’s right to vote. He also listed community protection, abortion rights, seniors and children as priorities.

“I can tell you right now that if our community is not safe, nothing else matters,” Sunday replied. “Our children are facing a brutal fentanyl epidemic that is killing 15 Pennsylvanians every day.”

On Sunday, ensuring the safety of children and seniors was also identified as the top priority.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michele Henry is not seeking re-election, making the race for the state’s top law enforcement official the only statewide seat open this cycle.

DePasquale, who served as state auditor general from 2013 to 2021, said his office’s work led to an investigation that found more than 3,000 untested rape kits and 58,000 missed calls to the Child Abuse Hotline. while emphasizing personal experiences that he believes will prepare him for the office.

“I am the only one running a complex, statewide agency,” DePasquale said. “That’s the type of leadership we’re going to need from day one.”

Sunday, who is currently serving his second term as York County District Attorney, detailed his 15 years of experience as a prosecutor and overseeing an office that has seen a decline in crime rates.

“Only one person standing here has ever been a prosecutor. Only one person standing here has ever faced a jury. Only one person standing here has ever conducted an investigation,” Sunday said.

Both candidates promoted the support they received during the debate. DePasquale praised the support of Gov. Josh Shapiro and Planned Parenthood, while Sunday pointed to support from the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police and the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.

Although the debate largely focused on politics, the two leveled some direct attacks at each other based on experience.

Gun control

DePasquale said the state is “pretty good” at cracking down on those who pull the trigger, but called for the person to be held accountable for illegal gun sales.

He also said he would advocate for the state Legislature to enact universal background checks, close the gun show loophole and red flag laws.

Sunday said York County’s “group violence initiative” has helped reduce shootings and hold people accountable, while stating that “constant communication” with the Association of Black Ministers, nonprofits and bloc leaders has also helped improve outcomes.

Miscarriage

Candidates responded differently when asked whether they would prosecute a person or doctor for performing an abortion if a ban were introduced in Pennsylvania. Under current state law, abortion is legal until the 24th week of pregnancy.

“I want to be very clear. I will never prosecute a woman or a doctor who performs an abortion. “If you want someone to put a woman in prison who has an abortion, you’re going to need another attorney general because it’s not going to be me,” DePasquale said. He also added that he would protect any woman who comes to Pennsylvania for an abortion and comes from one of the states with a ban.

DePasquale emphasized his family’s personal experience, saying his wife had an ectopic pregnancy, which was “technically an abortion,” which saved her life and allowed her to later give birth to two children.

Sunday said he regularly talks to his wife and mother about the issue, adding that “like any other law, I would strongly enforce and defend Pennsylvania’s abortion laws,” citing current state laws.

Regarding potential future legislation banning abortion in Pennsylvania, Sunday stated that “it will never happen.”

DePasquale referred to Republicans in the state legislature who support a constitutional amendment to implement the ban and reiterated his position. Sunday responded that “as a prosecutor, as a district attorney, we are guided by the facts and the law” and stated that “there is no scenario in which I would ever accuse a woman of having an abortion.”

Capital punishment

The candidates discussed the seriousness of the death penalty and shared slightly different positions.

DePasquale expressed “serious concerns” about the death penalty, saying he believed life in prison was a “very harsh sentence,” but added that “it is the law and we will enforce it to the fullest extent.”

“However, I want to make it clear that I have deep reservations about the death penalty, as does Governor Shapiro, and I support the Legislature that made it illegal in Pennsylvania,” DePasquale said.

Sunday cited the work he did on the case through the district attorneys’ association, calling the cases “some of the absolute saddest, tragic, horrible cases you could have.”

“The Legislature has made clear that there are certain factors that, if involved, a jury may have the ability to return a death sentence. “When you talk about some of the brutal, brutal murders of police officers, just sad, brutal murders of children, if the death penalty is required in those cases, then I will support that and I will seek the death penalty,” Sunday said. “However, we must be particularly careful in this matter. We have to think about it and it has to be a last resort, not a first resort.”

Immigration

On Sunday, he detailed how essential legal immigration is to society and mentioned that his wife moved to the United States from Sri Lanka, but the current situation of migrants crossing the southern U.S. border is impacting migrants in the Keystone State.

DePasquale also reiterated that the United States is a country of immigrants, but said “it should be legal immigration.” He also called for compassion for those already here, especially children born in the US

Elections

Debate moderator WGAL’s Brian Roach referenced Gov. Josh Shapiro, the state’s previous attorney general who was tasked with fending off lawsuits after the 2020 presidential election, and asked the candidates how they would uphold the results in “future free and fair elections.”

“As attorney general, no matter who we vote for, it is our job to ensure that every voter who is legally eligible to cast a ballot and casts a ballot legally is counted fairly,” DePasquale said. “And a person who loses an election, and happens to be a bad loser, and files election lawsuits on that basis, we cannot allow that to distort our judgment. We must defend Pennsylvania law.”

Sunday said he would handle such a case “just as I have handled everything that came across my desk, in an impartial manner. It’s very simple, the facts should be related to the law. It doesn’t matter what political party you represent. It doesn’t matter if you’re right, left, top, bottom, middle, none of it matters because our constitution and our country come first.”

Marijuana

The two candidates also shared different views when asked about the pros and cons of legalizing recreational marijuana.

Sunday believes he needs to have a voice in the safety discussion, citing driving under the influence as an example.

“You know, because of how serious this is, once you take the toothpaste out of the tube, it doesn’t go back in,” Sunday said. “As we move forward, we must at least consider the impact of this situation on public safety.”

DePasquale supported legalization and taxing marijuana since 2017 and stated that legalizing marijuana would be clever policy and would make communities smarter.

“Legalizing this drug would actually make it harder for children to get it. You can also make sure that the product is safer. You should also make sure that law enforcement is involved in its development. “We certainly need to make sure we have the technology available to ensure that anyone who drives under the influence of alcohol or marijuana is fully punished.”

AND Franklin & Marshall College Survey released in April found that 62% of registered Pennsylvania voters believe recreational marijuana should be legalized in the state.

Racial disparities in criminal justice

Both candidates said they take the issue seriously, although they had slightly different reactions to the current view on the issue.

“Do I believe there are times when people have racist intentions? The answer is yes. Do I think that sometimes there are two systems of justice for people of color and people of color? Yes,” DePasquale said. “And do I also believe that sometimes there are two systems of justice for people who have financial resources and for those who do not. The answer is yes.”

“I can tell you that there is no one who would not acknowledge that at some point in the past there have been racial disparities in our criminal justice system,” Sunday said.

“I can say that as we have progressed, we have embraced issues such as procedural fairness,” Sunday added, and discussed the education and training he has undertaken in his position to take the issue seriously.

Both candidates also viewed the wrongful conviction unit as essential to the office of attorney general.

Unlike the presidential and U.S. Senate races, not as many public polls have been released regarding the attorney general race, however A survey commissioned by AARP published on October 1 showed DePasquale with 47% and Sunday with 44%, within the poll’s margin of error.

While DePasquale and Sunday were the only candidates on stage Thursday and are frontrunners in the race, they are not the only candidates on the ballot for the statewide office. Also running for the seat are Justin Magill from the Constitution Party, Eric Settle from the Forward Party, Richard Weiss from the Green Party and Robert Cowburn from the Libertarian Party.

DePasquale and Sunday will face off again at 60-minute debate on October 15 at 7:00 p.mhosted by ABC27’s Dennis Owens, which will be broadcast statewide.

October 21 is the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania before the general election. Deadline by apply for an absentee or absentee ballot It’s October 29th.

Pennsylvania’s general election will be held on November 5.

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