Attorney General David W. Sunday Jr. speaks from the podium Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at The Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg, Pa., shortly after taking the oath of office. (Commonwealth Media Services)
Attorney General Dave Sunday took the oath of office on Tuesday, promising that he would protect and serve all Pennsylvanians regardless of background as he officially became the state’s top law enforcement official.
“My philosophy is rooted in two words: accountability and redemption,” Sunday said.
“We absolutely must hold criminals accountable,” Sunday added. “At the same time, we need to embrace redemption for those who have been held accountable and seek to better their lives.”
Sunday, who had served as the York County district attorney since 2018, defeated Democrat Eugene DePasquale, the state’s former two term auditor general, for the open race for the state’s attorney general office in November. The last time a Republican won the state’s attorney general race was Tom Corbett’s victory in 2008 over Democrat John Morganelli.
During his campaign, Sunday often touted the work his office did in York County to combat crime. He’s looking to bring that approach to the statewide office.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to emulate that type of work that we’ve done when we bring everyone to the table and look for the most positive outcomes humanly possible,” Sunday said.
He highlighted his journey from his high school graduation, which happened in the same room the swearing-in was taking place, Forum Auditorium, in the 1990s to his service in the Navy, working at UPS and serving as a prosecutor in York County.
“The concept of a team has been a constant in my life,” he said. “The best outcomes that I have ever seen have been accomplished through the spirit of collaboration and teamwork.”
He said citizens have the “absolute right” to demand safety and added that it’s incumbent upon his office to also focus on the root causes of crime, including access to mental health and combating the opioid epidemic. Noting that 95% of people who are incarcerated return to society, Sunday said there is a “power in employment” and pointed to specific bipartisan efforts such as the Clean Slate Law that was championed by then GOP state Sen. Scott Wagner and signed into law by then-Gov. Tom Wolf in 2018.
Sunday also said he’d support victims of human trafficking and ensure the state’s aging population is taken care of under his watch.
Prior to taking the oath of office, a pair of former Pennsylvania attorneys generals and governors, Josh Shapiro and Corbett, offered words of encouragement and advice to Sunday.
Shapiro, despite backing fellow Democrat DePasquale during the campaign, said it was an honor to be in attendance at the invitation of Sunday and said the two worked together when he was attorney general from 2017-2023 and Sunday was a district attorney in York County. Shapiro called himself a “longtime admirer” of Sunday during his speech on Tuesday.
“Pennsylvania needs someone like Dave who is grounded in integrity and something deeper than just the politics of a particular moment. That’s Dave Sunday.” Shapiro said. “And so I’m confident that Attorney General Sunday will pick up that baton from those who came before him and run forward with it, continuing to make progress.”
Corbett said that Sunday was assuming the office of attorney general in a “very unusual period of time in our history.”
“A very unsettled period of time, I think, when it comes to politics,” Corbett said. “And I would urge you to take the politics, as much as you possibly can, out of this.”
Corbett ended his speech with pointed advice for Sunday.
“Do the right thing.”
Garrity and DeFoor sworn-in for second terms
Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Tim DeFoor also were sworn-in for second terms on Tuesday afternoon.
Garrity, a combat veteran and businesswoman, earned a second term by defeating Democratic challenger Erin McClelland and winning more votes than any other candidate for office in Pennsylvania history in November. In 2020, she defeated incumbent Treasurer Joe Torsella, a Democrat, in an outcome widely viewed as an upset.
“The position of treasurer might seem like a job defined by interest rates and algorithms, but it has a uniquely human side,” Garrity said. “We help Pennsylvanians save for education and disability-related expenses. We reconnect people with money they forgot about or never knew they had. We return precious military medals to the great veterans who earned them or to their families who sacrificed so much for our country.”
DeFoor secured a second term in November by defeating Democratic state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of Philadelphia. DeFoor, who was Dauphin County controller, was first elected to the auditor general’s office in 2020 by defeating Democrat Nina Ahmad in the race for the open seat, making history by becoming the first person of color to win statewide office in Pennsylvania.
“That day was historic, not just for me, but for all Pennsylvanians,” DeFoor said. “As the first person of color to be elected to a statewide office in Pennsylvania, I understood that I am here because of those who have paved the way for me … those who fought for their freedoms and fought to make sure my freedoms were preserved.”
DeFoor added that “to them, I owe an enormous debt. A debt that I can only repay by living my life in a way that honors them.”
DeFoor said he will be a leader “who draws conclusions based on facts, not politics and serves the people of Pennsylvania by improving government, not tearing it down.”
Garrity and those who spoke before her, including Hugh Allen, her chief of staff who also served under Torsella, highlighted her office’s wide range of work on behalf of taxpayers, including returning unclaimed property and returning medals to military veterans. Jeff Bartos, a former GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, lauded Garrity for her office’s investments in Israel bonds days after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Garrity, a Bradford County resident, is the first person from rural Pennsylvania in more than 40 years to be elected to statewide office, also talked about the importance that farmers have driving the state’s economy.
DeFoor thanked his “staff of fantastic watchdogs,” and said his office has performed audits that have found ways to prevent fraud in the state lottery system, transform the way the department audits schools to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used properly, and a report on how pharmacy benefit managers were costing taxpayers. He also emphasized the importance of financial literacy awareness, saying he wants to ensure it is taught in every school as early as kindergarten.
Shapiro called Garrity “mission-driven… whether that was serving our nation in the military or serving as treasurer, where she’s worked to put money back in people’s pockets.”
Shapiro said DeFoor is a “serious public servant,” who has been “deliberative and thoughtful and serious leader no matter what position he has held.”
Shapiro on working with the row officers
With Sunday’s victory, and DeFoor and Garrity winning reelection, Republicans now occupy Pennsylvania’s three statewide row offices.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Shapiro said that “we all have a really good working relationship,” and that “I expect that to continue.”
Per the Associated Press, this is the first time that the state’s three row offices will be occupied by Republicans at the same time. Shapiro, who is the only governor in the nation who works with a full-time divided legislature, said he received and maintains bipartisan support because of his focus on common sense efforts – safety, schools, economic opportunities, regardless of zip code, focus on freedom and liberty.
“I’m going to continue to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to do common sense things,” Shapiro told reporters.
During Shapiro’s time leading the attorney general’s office, he sued the Trump administration dozens of times.
When asked by reporters on Tuesday how Sunday, a Republican, should challenge Trump, he said that was up to him.
“General Sunday will run his office as he sees fit, engage in the litigation that he thinks is important to engage in,” Shapiro told reporters. “I’m not gonna get ahead of him or speak on his behalf.”
Capital-Star reporter Ian Karbal contributed.