HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday was sworn in as the state’s top prosecutor on Tuesday, beginning a recent period of Republican control of three rank-and-file offices in Pennsylvania.
Sunday, a former York County district attorney and career prosecutor, took the helm of the powerful attorney general’s office on Tuesday, focusing on enforcing state laws but also taking advantage of second chances.
Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Tim DeFoor, both Republicans, also were sworn in for second terms on Tuesday in separate ceremonies ahead of Sunday’s swearing-in. The treasurer controls the state treasury and pays its bills, while the auditor general serves as the state’s fiscal supervision authority.
This marks the first time Republicans have been elected to all three independent government positions.
The newly sworn-in Republican attorney general, who previously announced a conservative approach to the position and guided by applicable state law, will now decide how he will run the office. He will have a chance to represent Pennsylvania’s interests nationally in lawsuits against the federal government – just as Democratic attorneys general from 18 states filed their first lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday.
He will also have to develop relationships with all 67 district attorneys – with progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who suggested during the campaign that his relationship with Sunday would be arduous.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general is tasked with investigating corruption and enforcing state laws, among other duties. The position is also seen as a stepping stone to higher office, as two of the state’s last three governors previously served as attorney general, including Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Sunday, elected to a four-year term as attorney general, said he would not run for governor in 2026, when Shapiro is up for re-election.
Sunday was built on the promise of accountability and redemption, an unusual goal for a GOP prosecutor.
“We absolutely must hold criminals accountable. At the same time, we must accept the redemption of those who have been held accountable and strive to improve their lives,” Sunday said in a speech after taking the oath of office.
“Magic happens when people work together to create greater self-esteem and the understanding that individuals have the power within themselves to change the circumstances of their lives,” he added.
Sunday is the first Republican elected attorney general since former Gov. Tom Corbett, who led the attorney general’s office from 2005 to 2011, when he began his term as governor.
Corbett, whom Sunday had chosen to chair his transition committee, urged Sunday to “get the politics out of this as much as possible” and be guided by four words: “Do the right thing.”
Shapiro spoke at the swearing-in of all three officers in this order and praised them for their commitment to doing good work on behalf of the people of the state. During Sunday’s ceremony, the Democratic governor reflected fondly on his time as attorney general and expressed confidence that the Republican prosecutor would be able to handle the mental and emotional challenges of the role, which he said could be “exhilarating.”
“Pennsylvania needs someone like Dave who is grounded in integrity and something deeper than just the politics of the moment,” Shapiro said.
Democrat Eugene DePasquale, the state’s former auditor general, was defeated on Sunday in a multimillion-dollar election as presidential and U.S. Senate candidates monopolized the airwaves. Sunday was largely supported by the deep pockets of the so-called the national Republican Attorneys General Association, as well as a political action committee financed primarily by Pennsylvania’s richest man, Jeff Yass.
For his part, DePasquale was supported by the national Democratic Attorneys General Association and a number of labor unions.
The GOP office trifecta was one of many victories for Pennsylvania Republicans in the 2024 election, in which the state also won the presidential race against Donald Trump and elected Republican Dave McCormick to the U.S. Senate.
Garrity, in an interview, called Republican control of rank-and-file offices “extremely exhilarating.”
“We now have all three officers in the row for the first time in history since the attorney general held a voting position,” she said, referring to the fact that attorneys general were appointed in Pennsylvania until 1981.
