Attorney General of Virginia

Virginia Attorney General
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$150,000
2024 FY Budget:	$69,777,290
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Virginia Constitution, Article 5, Section 15
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Attorney General of Virginia Jason Miyares Republican Party Assumed office: 2022-01-15
Elections
Next election:	November 4, 2025
Last election:	November 2, 2021
Other Virginia Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Attorney General of Virginia is a publicly elected executive official in the Virginia state government. The attorney general provides legal advice and representation for all state agencies. The attorney general also provides written legal advice in the form of official opinions to members of the Virginia General Assembly and other government officials.

Virginia has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder

The current officeholder is Republican Jason Miyares. He was first elected in 2021 and was sworn in on January 15, 2022.

Authority

The office of attorney general is established in Article 5, Section 15 of the Virginia Constitution.

Article V, Section 15:

An Attorney General shall be elected by the qualified voters of the Commonwealth at the same time and for the same term as the Governor; and the fact of his election shall be ascertained in the same manner...

Qualifications

Article V, Section 15 of the Virginia Constitution also establishes the qualifications of the office:

• U.S. citizen
• at least 30 years old
• is qualified to be a judge of a court of record in the state

...No person shall be eligible for election or appointment to the office of Attorney General unless he is a citizen of the United States, has attained the age of thirty years, and has the qualifications required for a judge of a court of record...

Elections

Virginia state government organizational chart

The attorney general is elected every four years at the same time the governor is elected. These elections take place one year after the presidential elections (e.g. 2017, 2021, 2025, etc.). Legally, the inauguration is always held on the Saturday after the second Wednesday in January after an election.

2021

See also: Virginia Attorney General election, 2021

General election

General election for Attorney General of Virginia

Jason Miyares defeated incumbent Mark Herring in the general election for Attorney General of Virginia on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Miyares (R)	50.4	1,647,534
		Mark Herring (D)	49.6	1,621,227
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,996

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,271,757
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Virginia

Incumbent Mark Herring defeated Jerrauld Jones in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Virginia on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Herring	56.6	274,736
		Jerrauld Jones	43.4	210,365

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 485,101
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican convention

Republican Convention for Attorney General of Virginia

Select round: Round 3 Round 2 Round 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jason Miyares in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Jason Miyares	51.7	6,490	1,193	Advanced (3)
		Chuck Smith	48.3	6,064	1,089	3
		Jack White	0.0	0	-2,282	3
		Leslie Haley	0.0	0	0	2

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Jason Miyares	42.2	5,297	708	Advanced (3)
		Chuck Smith	39.6	4,975	651	3
		Jack White	18.2	2,282	410	3
		Leslie Haley	0.0	0	-1,768	2

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Jason Miyares	36.6	4,589	0	Advanced (3)
		Chuck Smith	34.4	4,324	0	3
		Jack White	14.9	1,872	0	3
		Leslie Haley	14.1	1,768	0	2

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,553
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

2017

See also: Virginia attorney general election, 2017

Incumbent Mark Herring (D) defeated John Adams (R) in the election for Attorney General of Virginia.

Virginia Attorney General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Herring Incumbent	53.39%	1,385,389
	Republican	John Adams	46.61%	1,209,339
Total Votes				2,594,728
Source: Virginia Department of Elections

2013

On November 5, 2013, Mark Herring won election to the office of Attorney General of Virginia. He defeated Mark Obenshain (R) in the general election.

Attorney General of Virginia, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Herring	50%	1,105,045
	Republican	Mark Obenshain	50%	1,104,138
Total Votes				2,209,183
Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections.

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2001 for the office of Attorney General of Virginia, click [show] to expand the section.

2009 On November 3, 2009, Ken T. Cuccinelli II won election to the office of Attorney General of Virginia. He defeated Stephen C. Shannon (D) in the general election. Attorney General of Virginia, 2009 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Ken T. Cuccinelli II 57.5% 1,124,137      Democratic Stephen C. Shannon 42.4% 828,687      Write-In Various 0.1% 1,772 Total Votes 1,954,596 Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections. 2005 On November 8, 2005, Robert F. McDonnell won election to the office of Attorney General of Virginia. He defeated R. Creigh Deeds (D) in the general election. Attorney General of Virginia, 2005 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Robert F. McDonnell 50% 970,886      Democratic R. Creigh Deeds 49.9% 970,563      Write-In Various 0.1% 1,801 Total Votes 1,943,250 Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections. 2001 On November 6, 2001, Jerry W. Kilgore won election to the office of Attorney General of Virginia. He defeated A.D. McEachin (D) in the general election. Attorney General of Virginia, 2001 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Jerry W. Kilgore 60% 1,107,068      Democratic A.D. McEachin 39.9% 736,431      Write-In Various 0.1% 1,282 Total Votes 1,844,781 Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections.

Term limits

According to the state constitution there are no term limits for this office.

Vacancies

In the event of a vacancy in the office, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointment. The appointee shall hold office until the next general election.

Duties

The duties and powers of the office of the attorney general include:

“

Provide legal advice and representation to the governor and executive agencies, state boards and commissions and institutions of higher education. The advice commonly includes help with personnel issues, contracts, purchasing, regulatory and real estate matters and the review of proposed legislation. The office also represents those agencies in court. Provide written legal advice in the form of official opinions to members of the general assembly and government officials. Defend criminal convictions on appeal and defend the state when prisoners sue concerning their incarceration. Defend the constitutionality of state laws when they are challenged in court. Enforce state laws that protect businesses and consumers when there are violations. Individual consumer complaints are usually handled by another agency. Represent consumers in utility matters before the Virginia Corporation Commission. Collect debts owed to state agencies, hospitals and universities. Conduct or assist criminal investigations and prosecutions in certain limited cases (for example Medicaid fraud, money laundering, theft of state property, environmental crimes and computer crimes). Represent the Virginia Department of Social Services in its efforts to collect child support on behalf of children and families. Supervise the appointment and payment of private attorneys hired by other state agencies for various matters. Assist victims of crime who are following criminal cases at the appellate level. Provide information to the public on identity theft prevention and remediation. Administer grants to help reduce crimes involving gangs, drugs and sex predators. Administer the Virginia Sexually Violent Predator Civil Commitment Program to protect children from the most dangerous predators.

”

A complete list of the duties of the office is outlined in the Virginia state code.

Divisions

As of January 11, 2021, divisions within the Attorney General's Office included:

• Executive & Administration
• Solicitor General
• Government Operations & Transactions
• Health, Education & Social Services
• Criminal Justice & Public Safety
• Civil Litigation

State budget

See also: Virginia state budget and finances

The budget for the Attorney General's Office and the Department of Law in Fiscal Year 2024 was $69,777,290.

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The attorney general's annual salary is set by law, pursuant to Article V, Section 15 of the Virginia Constitution:

The Attorney General...shall receive such compensation as may be prescribed by law, which compensation shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the attorney general was paid an estimated $150,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

2011

In 2011, the attorney general was paid an estimated $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

Commonwealth attorneys general (1869-present)

There have been 37 attorney general of Virginia since 1869. Of the 37 officeholders, 11 were Republican, 22 were Democrat, three were Conservatives, and one was Readjuster.

List of officeholders from 1869-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Charles Whittlesey	1869–1870	Republican
2	James Craig Taylor	1870-1874	Conservative
3	Raleigh Travers Daniel	1874–1877	Conservative
4	James Gavin Field	1877-1882	Conservative
5	Francis Simpson Blair	1882–1886	Readjuster
6	Rufus Adolphus Ayers	1886– 1890	Democratic
7	Robert Taylor Scott	1890–1897	Democratic
8	Richard Carter Scott	1897-1898	Democratic
9	Andrew Jackson Montague	1898– 1902	Democratic
10	William Alexander Anderson	1902– 1910	Democratic
11	Samuel Walker Williams	1910–1914	Democratic
12	John Garland Pollard	1914–1918	Democratic
13	Josiah Dickenson Hank Jr	1918	Democratic
14	John Richard Saunders	1918–1934	Democratic
15	Abram Penn	1934-1947	Democratic
16	Harvey Black Apperson	1947-1948	Democratic
17	James Lindsay Almond Jr	1948-1957	Democratic
18	Kenneth Cartright Patty	1957-1958	Democratic
19	Albertis Sydney Harrison Jr	1958–1961	Democratic
20	Frederick Thomas Gray	1961- 1962	Democratic
21	Robert Young Button	1962–1970	Democratic
22	Andrew Pickens Miller	1970–1977	Democratic
23	Anthony Francis Troy	1977-1978	Democratic
24	John Marshall Coleman	1978–1982	Republican
25	Gerald Lee Baliles	1982–1985	Democratic
26	William Gray Broaddus	1985-1986	Democratic
27	Mary Sue Terry	1986–1993	Democratic
28	Stephen Douglas Rosenthal	1993-1994	Democratic
29	James Stuart Gilmore III	1994–1997	Republican
30	Richard Cullen	1997-1998	Republican
31	Mark Lawrence Earley	1998-2001	Republican
32	Randolph Allen Beales	2001-2002	Republican
33	Jerry Walter Kilgore	2002–2005	Republican
34	Judith Williams Jagdmann	2005-2006	Republican
35	Robert Francis McDonnell	2006–2009	Republican
36	William Cleveland Mims	2009-2010	Republican
37	Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli	2010–2014	Republican
38	Mark Herring	2014–2022	Democratic
39	Jason Miyares	2022–Present	Republican

Civil War attorneys general (1861-1869)

Secession government (1861-1865)

John Randolph Tucker was the Democratic attorney general from 1861 to 1865, when Virginia had succeeded in the Civil War.

Restored government (1865-1865)

The era from when the Virginia rejoined the Union states and the end of the Civil War is known as the Restored Government of Virginia. There were two attorneys general in this era: Republican James S. Wheat (1861-1862) and Unionist/Republican Thomas Russell Bowden (1863-1869). Bowden served past the end of the Restored Government.

Commonwealth attorneys general (1776-1857)

There were eight Attorneys General of Virginia between 1776-1857.

List of officeholders from 1776-1857
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Edmund Randolph	1776-1786
2	James Innes	1786-1796
3	John Marshall	1794-1795
4	Robert Brooke	1796-1800	Democratic-Republican
5	Philip Norborne Nicholas	1800- 1819	Democratic-Republican
6	John Robertson	1819-1834
7	Sidney Smith Baxter	1834-1852	Democratic
8	Willis Perry Bocock	1852- 1857	Democratic

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Virginia Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Attorney General of Virginia - Google News

Contact information

Office of the Attorney General
202 North Ninth Street
Richmond, VA 23219

Phone: 804-786-2071

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Virginia Attorney General