Candidates spar in the Republican Attorney General Debate

(WHTM) – The two Republican candidates for Attorney General sparred in their first televised statewide debate on Thursday night.

York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and State Representative Craig Williams debated issues including their qualifications, crime, human trafficking, social media, and individual rights.

The fireworks began early when Williams was asked why Republican voters should support him when the state party endorsed Sunday.

“I think the state of the party right now is not succeeding and I’m not terribly worried about endorsements because qualifications and winning elections is what matters,” said Williams.

Williams’ campaign had previously said Sunday “has allowed the City of York to become one of the most violent places in the Commonwealth.”

Sunday responded by saying “Pennsylvanians want an Attorney General who will keep their communities safe” and touted a group violence initiative that he says has decreased gang violence and homicides in York.

When asked what the biggest difference is between each other, Williams said he was “a Republican, I have been my whole life” and claimed Sunday changed his political party. Sunday said the biggest difference between him and Williams is his experience in the courtroom and his endorsements.

When directed to share one thing they admire about their opponent, Sunday said he admired Williams “ability to run for multiple offices at the same time” as Williams runs for both Attorney General and his State House seat.

Williams, a retired Marine, acknowledged Sunday’s service in the Navy “even though he couldn’t find something nice to say about me.”

Who’s running for Attorney General in Pennsylvania?

The candidates did agree on several issues throughout the debate.

When asked if they would support the legalization of marijuana, Williams said he was “not there yet and I am trying my hardest to be not rigid on this because I don’t want to legalize marijuana but I understand that there are people who see this no differently from alcohol.”

Williams shared the story of how he lost his brother to addiction in 2020 after his brother started with marijuana in high school and went on to use harder drugs as an adult.

When pressed on marijuana, Sunday said lawmakers need to consider the safety of citizens who could be injured by impaired drivers.

“We must make sure that we take that into consideration as we have these conversations and that can not be swept under the rug,” said Sunday, who added that “at this point” he’s a no on legalizing marijuana.

On the topic of abortion, both Sunday and Williams agreed there was no right to an abortion in the Pennsylvania constitution and any right would have to be statutory.

Sunday said there needs to be “support, care, and compassion for mothers” and ensure that there are tools and services so they can “make the decisions that they have to make.”

Sunday added that the issue of abortion “sits with the will of the people” and that he will “follow the law, whatever that law is, as determined by the legislature.” He added that he would “follow the facts and the law, period” regarding whether he would prosecute a woman who has, or a doctor who performs, an abortion.

Williams said the U.S. Supreme Court “has already answered that question” on whether there’s a guaranteed right to abortion and the issue has fallen to the legislature where he says, in a divided government, that will not change.

“My role as the Attorney General would be to enforce the constitution and make sure that anything that is done to try to circumvent the constitution with respect to the Abortion Control Act, that I go in and defend the constitution,” said Williams.

Williams said he would not prosecute a woman “who gets a lawful abortion in Pennsylvania” and that any doctor who violates the Abortion Control Act would be prosecuted.

On issues of consumer protection Williams also pledged to continue Attorney General Michelle Henry’s work on junk fees, saying he’s working on that in the State House of Representatives.

Sunday said the Attorney General’s office “could have a role if it’s legislatively mandated” regarding junk fees, but later said the office should have a “very serious role” with social media companies.

Williams said he and Sunday agreed on the issue of social media and the targeting of children on platforms such as TikTok.

“I think the Attorney General’s office, just like we did with the opioid epidemic, has a very definite role to play in helping to vindicate consumer’s rights when it comes to being targeted by these platforms, their children being targeted by these platforms, and providing them a safety net,” said Williams.

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Williams pledged for his top issues to be gun violence, addiction, and protecting seniors from scams. He added that “official oppression” would also be a focal point of his office.

Sunday said his priorities would be similar, but emphasized the issues of fentanyl coming into the country, gang violence, mental health, and protecting seniors.

“Pennsylvania has a mental health crisis,” emphasized Sunday.

The two candidates also agreed that Governor Josh Shapiro did not have the power to put Pennsylvania into a compact like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

They also agreed that nursing homes should be open to lawsuits regarding wrongful COVID-19 deaths and stated they would seek funds from opioid manufacturers for their roles in the opioid epidemic.

Here’s what you need to know about the Republicans running for Attorney General in Pennsylvania.

Dave Sunday

York County District Attorney Dave Sunday became the first Republican to formally enter the race in July. Sunday has worked as a prosecutor in York County since 2009 and became District Attorney in 2018.

Sunday was previously appointed by the Department of Justice as special assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania to prosecute gang, gun and drug cases in federal court. In that role, he was involved with the arrest and prosecution of more than 100 people associated with the Latin Kings gang in York County.

Sunday enlisted in the Navy and attended Penn State University and Widener Law School.

Craig Williams

Republican Pennsylvania State Representative Craig Williams (Delaware/Chester) announced in November that he is running for Attorney General.

A United States Marine Corps veteran, Williams flew 56 combat missions during the Gulf War and was “personally decorated 11 times, including twice for acts of Valor in combat.” He served as a Chief Prosecutor for the largest base in the Marine Corps and served as legal counsel for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In December 2022, Williams was named as one of three impeachment managers in the case against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner after the State House impeached the Democratic prosecutor over policies some lawmakers say have led to a rise in crime.

Williams received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Duke University, a Juris Doctor with high honors from the University of Florida College of Law, and a Master of Laws with high honors in Jurisprudence (Virtue Ethics and Criminal Law) from the Columbia University School of Law.

The five Democrats running for Attorney General debated on March 12 on topics including crime, guns, technology, and abortion.

Election Day is April 23.

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