In her opinion piece today in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Kimberley A. Strassel describes "an upstart reformer challenging an incumbent attorney general who, like New York's Eliot Spitzer, has cemented his position through populism and political patronage." The upstart Strassel is referring to is Dan Greear, a GOP lawyer challenging current West Virginia AG Darrell McGraw. But it could be any lawyer such as Crites who's running for the AG job in Ohio and doesn't seem hell-bent on making a name for himself through high-profile but questionable litigation.
Strassel chronicles the changing mood in the country that is now much more wary of the tactics and litigation of state AGs. She states, "As state attorneys general have become more brazen with their power, and as outside groups have started shining a light on their backroom practices, votes have become uneasy."
However, the incumbents and their kind usually have an embedded patronage system. Given these tough economic times, you can bet those kept working in politically sponsored jobs intend to stay working. They will campaign hard for the AGs who seem to be throwbacks to old-machine bosses. That brings up the issue that Strassel herself raises: Can the challengers win, and not just symbolically question the status quo?
That will be interesting to find out this November.
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