2018 New York Attorney General election

The 2018 New York Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018. New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, a Democrat, was elected. James is the first woman and the first African-American to be elected New York Attorney General.

Former attorney general Eric Schneiderman resigned on May 8, 2018, after allegations of domestic abuse and withdrew from his then-ongoing reelection campaign. Incumbent solicitor general Barbara Underwood was chosen by the legislature to complete her unexpired term, but opted not to seek election to a full term.

On September 13, 2018, James won the Democratic nomination for attorney general, defeating Leecia Eve, former senior policy advisor to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton; Sean Patrick Maloney, U.S. Representative for New York's 18th congressional district; and Zephyr Teachout, professor at Fordham University School of Law. In the general election, James defeated Republican Party candidate Keith Wofford with over 60% of the vote.

In the general election, James carried every county won by Andrew Cuomo in the concurrent gubernatorial election as well as Franklin, Clinton, Essex, Orange, Duchess, Columbia, Broome, Cortland and Schenectady counties.

Background
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, was first elected to the office of Attorney General in 2010, winning reelection in 2014. He was in the midst of campaigning for a third term in office when on May 7, 2018, The New Yorker revealed allegations that he had physically abused several women he had dated during his tenure in office. Schneiderman resigned hours after the story was released, with the resignation taking effect at the end of the business day May 8; he did not seek re-election.

Barbara Underwood, the solicitor general, took on the duties of Attorney General upon Schneiderman's resignation. A joint session of the New York State Legislature formally appointed Underwood to fill the rest of Schneiderman's term on May 22, after interviewing several potential candidates; of the 209 members in the State Legislature, 190 votes were cast in favor, with one (Charles Barron) voting against her in protest of the process, and 18 abstaining. Underwood confirmed that she would not run for the office in the 2018 elections, and returned to her previous position as solicitor general following the election.

Filed
The following candidates were certified by the State Board of Elections as having filed for the primary ballot (James by state convention nomination and the others by submitting sufficient signatures):
 * Leecia Eve, former senior policy advisor to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 2006
 * Letitia James, New York City Public Advocate (nominee of the state party convention)
 * Sean Patrick Maloney, U.S. Representative for New York's 18th congressional district
 * Zephyr Teachout, Fordham Law Associate Professor, nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 19th congressional district in 2016, candidate for Governor of New York in 2014

Withdrew

 * Eric Schneiderman, former attorney general

Declined

 * Daniel Garodnick, former member of the New York City Council
 * Michael Gianaris, New York State Senator
 * Charles D. Lavine, Member of the New York State Assembly
 * Kathleen Rice, U.S. Representative from New York's 4th congressional district
 * Barbara Underwood, interim Attorney General
 * Tim Wu, special enforcement counsel to the attorney general and 2014 lieutenant governor primary candidate

Nominee

 * Keith Wofford, co-managing partner of Ropes & Gray's New York City office (designated party nominee)

Withdrew

 * Manny Alicandro, corporate attorney from Manhattan (ended Attorney General campaign in May 2018 to run for Comptroller)
 * Joe Holland, former Commissioner of the New York Department of Housing and Community Renewal (defeated for Republican nomination; endorsed Republican nominee Keith Wofford)

Declined

 * John P. Cahill, Republican nominee for attorney general in 2014 and former aide to Governor George Pataki
 * John DeFrancisco, Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
 * John Katko, U.S. Representative

Conservative
Conservative Party of New York State chairman Michael R. Long indicated the party would cross-endorse the Republican nominee for attorney general.


 * Nominee: Keith Wofford

Working Families
Nominee: Letitia James. The party endorsed both Letitia James and Zephyr Teachout prior to the September 13 primary election. Kenneth Schaefer, who was nominated as the Working Families Party's dummy candidate, withdrew by October 9 in favor of Democratic nominee Letitia James.

Independence Party
Nominee: Letitia James. Victor J. Messina Jr., the original nominee, withdrew by October 9 as well.

Green Party
Nominee: Michael Sussman

Reform
On May 20, 2018, the Reform Party of New York State authorized four candidates to run for attorney general in its September 13, 2018 primary:


 * Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney (declined)
 * Michael Diederich Jr.
 * Christopher B. Garvey, Libertarian Party nominee and perennial candidate
 * Nancy Regula, animal rights activist and wife of party chairman Curtis Sliwa

Libertarian

 * Christopher B. Garvey

Results
Letitia James (D) went on to easily win the election, with 62% of the vote versus Wofford's (R) 35%. James became the first woman and the first African-American to be elected New York Attorney General.