PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Election Day is about one month away. In addition to president and U.S. senator, voters in Pennsylvania will also select a new attorney general. The two major-party candidates took part in their first televised debate Thursday night.
Pennsylvania attorney general candidates Republican Dave Sunday and Democrat Eugene DePasquale addressed several topics in their debate hosted by WGAL TV in Lancaster, including reproductive rights, violent crimes, and defending and upholding results in free and fair elections.
DePasquale says the Attorney General’s office has to ensure that every legally cast vote is counted.
“And the person that loses that election that happens to be a sore loser and files election lawsuits based on that, we cannot let that distort our judgment. We must defend Pennsylvania's law. We must make sure that the voters pick the winner, not the lawyers,” he said.
Sunday says he’d handle it the same way he’s handled everything during his time as York County district attorney.
“In a nonpartisan fashion. It is very simple. You apply the facts to the law. It doesn't matter what your political party is. It doesn't matter if you're right, left, up, down, middle. None of it matters because our Constitution and our country is what comes first,” Sunday said.
Asked his top priority as attorney general, DePasquale said protecting reproductive rights and democracy.
“The next attorney general will be dealing with litigation that will protect everyone's right to vote and make sure that that vote is counted accurately,” DePasquale said.
Sunday said if people aren’t safe then nothing else matters.
“Predators are going after our children every single day, and we have seniors that are being attacked relentlessly from people that are trying to defraud them. Now is not the time for on-the-job training, now is a time for an experienced prosecutor,” Sunday said.
Sunday repeatedly tried to land criticism of what he says is DePasquale’s lack of courtroom experience.
“Pennsylvanians deserve better,” Sunday said. “This isn't about political advancement. This is about public safety.”
But Depasquale points out, as Pennsylvania auditor general, he reduced the backlog of untested rape kits and uncovered tens of thousands of unanswered calls to the state’s child abuse hotline.
“I also bring the values that are important into this office, the value of knowing hard work, the value of knowing struggle, the value of seeing both sides of the criminal justice system,” he said.
The two will meet for a second debate on Oct. 15.