Democrat Josh Shapiro became Pennsylvania's next Attorney General in a close win over Republican opponent John Rafferty.
Shapiro, of Abington, is the chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and was a member of the State House from 2005-12. Rafferty, of Lower Providence, spent three years as a deputy attorney general from 1988-91 and has served in the state Senate for 16 years.
The two Montgomery County politicians agreed that the winner of Tuesday's election will have to work to restore the integrity of the office.
Kathleen Kane, the first female and Democrat elected as the commonwealth’s top law enforcement officer, was sentenced in October to 10 to 23 months in prison on a federal perjury conviction. Kane resigned in August and Gov. Tom Wolf appointed Bruce Beemer to serve out the final four months of her term in office. He was easily confirmed by the Senate.
Shapiro and Rafferty clashed on various issues, including abortion rights and gun control. Shapiro has said he will hire a diversity officer, while Rafferty wanted more sections in the office, including one for animal protection
Rafferty signed a pledge that he wouldn’t use the Attorney General’s Office as a stepping stone to the governor’s mansion. Shapiro declined to sign the pledge.
