By James R. Hood
ConsumerAffairs.com
November 8, 2006
Forget the red, blue and purple mind games for a minute. There is a new batch of state attorneys general celebrating their wins today. Some of them will prove to be dogged consumer advocates while others will spend their time grandstanding about terrorism, murder rates and other problems over which they actually have very little influence.
Party labels don't always tell you which AGs will turn out to be bulldogs who gnaw away at predatory lenders, crooked nursing homes and bait-and-switching retailers. Only time will tell which of the AGs in the class of 2006 deserve a statue or just a train ticket out of town.
While most attorneys general aren't exactly household names, some of those elected yesterday have names that will ring true to anyone who follows politics -- Brown, Biden, Cuomo. At least two states are getting their first female attorney general. One got rid of an attorney general whose specialty was persecuting women, although he never got around to prosecuting them.
New York
New York's loss may also be its gain. Firebrand attorney general Eliot Spitzer, who terrorized Wall Street as he attacked corruption, kickbacks and insider trading in the securities and insurance industries, was overwhelmingly elected governor. Replacing him as attorney general is Andrew M. Cuomo, son of former governor Mario M. Cuomo.
"Day 1 -- everything changes," Spitzer promised on the campaign trail. But New York State's moribund economy, its huge and unwieldy state bureaucracy and perennial budget nightmares may not be all that easy to change.
As Cuomo spoke to his supporters last night, he saluted his father, who stood beside him, as "the greatest governor in the history of New York."
Cuomo said during the campaign that he would emphasize the need for state government reform and stricter enforcement of environmental laws. "No one is so powerful that they're above the law," he said.
California
Democrat Jerry Brown, 68, former two-term California governor and political iconoclast, will return to Sacramento as the state's attorney general. He launched his bid to return to statewide office earlier this year after serving two terms as mayor of Oakland. He said his experience on the mean streets of Oakland would make him a more effective attorney general.
Besides his terms as governor, Brown sought the Democratic presidential nomination and, failing to snag that, worked for awhile as a radio talk show host in Berkeley.
The late columnist Mike Royko dubbed Brown "Gov. Moonbeam," but later withdrew the moniker, saying Brown had shown he had the right stuff. First elected governor at the age of 36, Brown espoused ideas that seemed flaky at the time but have since been accepted -- using windmills to generate electricity, for example.
Brown was just 36 when elected to his first term as governor. His father, the late Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, one of California's most beloved politicians ever, was a highly respected former governor and also served as attorney general.
"I feel particularly privileged to win tonight," Brown said last night. "It's 56 years to the night when my father was first elected attorney general of California. I have a lot of memories and a lot of lessons that I think I can apply."
Florida
Republican Bill McCollum will be Florida's attorney general, succeeding Republican Charlie Crist who was elected to succeed Presidential brother Jeb Bush as governor. It wasn't long ago that analysts thought Jeb Bush might succeed brother George as ... oh, never mind.
McCollum, 62, is a Florida native who served 20 years in Congress representing parts of central Florida near Orlando. He was roundly criticized during the campaign for his 20 years as a high-powered Washington lobbyist. He pledged that as attorney general he would boost homeland security and fight sexual predators. He didn't say just how he would do that.
Kansas
In Kansas, Democrat Paul Morrison ousted Republican incumbent Phill Kline, who spent much of his time as attorney general persecuting women who underwent abortions.
In 2004, Kline subpoenaed the records of 90 women and girls who in 2003 underwent late-term abortions, saying there was probable cause that each record contained evidence of a felony. The original subpoena asked that the records include each patient's name, medical history, birth control practices, psychological profile and sexual history and asked for the records of all women and girls who sought abortions at or after 22 weeks' gestation.
A judge ordered names and other personally identifying information removed before the files were turned over. Morrison had said Kline's request was an invasion of medical privacy.
Delaware
In the tiny enclave known as Delaware, Democrat Beau Biden was elected attorney general. The 37-year-old former federal prosecutor is the son of -- who else? -- Sen. Joe Biden, who said he thinks his son will "make the state proud."
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, Martha Coakley, 53, claimed victory early Tuesday, becoming the Bay State's first woman attorney general. Coakley, who has been Middlesex County district attorney, said she would work to build "the kind of government in Massachusetts that will be responsive to the many complex demands of tomorrow." Specifics to follow, maybe?
Minnesota
In Minnesota, Lori Swanson, a protege of outgoing attorney general Mike Hatch, defeated a self-proclaimed tough-on-crime state legislator, becoming the first woman to hold the job. Swanson is not unfamiliar with the post. She has helped run the attorney general's office as the state's solicitor general and, before that, as deputy attorney general.
She said health care and predatory lending will be among her priorities.
"I think Mike Hatch has been a great attorney general for the state of Minnesota," she said. "He's always stood up for people when they need a helping hand. I would hope that I could also be an attorney general who can stand up for the average person and give them a fair shake."
Michigan
Republican Mike Cox easily defeated challenger Amos Williams. Cox cited his record of protecting consumers, collecting unpaid child support, cracking old murder cases, arresting Internet sex predators and preventing gun violence.
Cox said he wants to focus heavily on issues affecting the elderly in his second four-year term. Being attorney general has opened his eyes to the problems facing seniors, including identity theft and abuse and neglect in nursing homes, Cox said.
Oklahoma
Democratic incumbent Drew Edmondson easily won a fourth term as Oklahoma's attorney general. During the campaign, he pledged to continue fighting out-of-state poultry companies that he said are polluting Oklahoma lakes and rivers.
His opponent said Edmondson drummed up the poultry lawsuit to pad the pockets of state trial lawyers.
Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, J.B. Van Hollen defeated Democrat Kathleen Falk in a close race. Among the hottest issues in the campaign was a lawsuit filed by outgoing AG Peg Lautenschlager against a cranberry grower. Farmers were incensed, saying the suit threatened the Dairy State's Right to Farm law.
