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Abstract

State attorneys general (AGs) are among the most powerful government actors in the United States. Over the last three decades, state AGs have assumed a position as members of America’s national policymaking regime. In recent years, their influence has been felt in a variety of ways on countless issues of local, state, and national importance, including gun control, healthcare, abortion, immigration, and the environment. Indeed, state AGs impact nearly every issue area of public policy in the United States. Despite being a significant player in state and national policymaking, little quantitative scholarship about state AGs exists, especially concerning an essential characteristic of the office: selection. This dissertation attempts to fill this gap by constructing and testing a theory of state AG selection in three chapters. In the first substantive chapter, I investigate how state AG selection systems influence the selection of state AGs with certain professional legal experience. In the second chapter, I test whether state AG selection systems impact the selection of state AGs who are female or members of racial/ethnic minority communities. The third utilizes certain candidate characteristics as predictors to assess candidate success in state AG elections. Results reveal that state AG selection systems influence the selection of state AGs 1) with certain professional legal experience, and 2) who are female and members of racial/ethnic minority communities. Further, regarding state AG elections, certain candidate characteristics can assist or inhibit electoral success. This dissertation contributes greatly to our understanding of how selection institutions operate and influence who sits in public office.

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