York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, candidate for attorney general, answers questions at a candidates forum in Pittsburgh Oct. 23, 2024 (Photo by Abigail Hakas for the Capital-Star)
Republican Dave Sunday, the York County District Attorney, is the projected winner of the Pennsylvania attorney general race, defeating Democrat Eugene DePasquale 51% to 46%, according to unofficial election results. The Associated Press called the race shortly before 3:30 a.m.
The attorney general is the state’s top law enforcement official, with authority to enforce state laws, investigate public corruption, business fraud, consumer law violations, drug trafficking and other crimes. Recent office holders have conducted high-profile investigations into the systemic coverup of abuse by the Catholic church and sued to hold accountable those responsible for the opioid crisis.
Sunday has been York County DA since 2018, now serving his second term in office. He worked as a law clerk for a York County Common Pleas judge before he joined the DA’s office. In 2013, he was appointed special assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In prosecuting cases related to the opioid epidemic, Sunday took a collaborative approach working with other agencies, and an Indiana University of Pennsylvania study found reduced recidivism rates in York over the past five years, which he credited to the county’s Early Termination of Probation program.
DePasquale posted to social media shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday that he had called Sunday to concede
“Dave worked hard and earned this victory,” he wrote in the post on X. “I also want to thank all of the people who supported our campaign. Your energy and passion will always be with me. Thank you!