Five takeaways from the GOP Attorney General debate

(WTAJ) — The two Republican candidates for Pennsylvania Attorney General took to the stage for their first televised debate of 2024.

The debate, held on March 14, focused on topics involving crime, police-involved shootings, the drug and border crisis and abortion. The two candidates on stage were Dave Sunday and Craig Williams.

The candidates took aim at each other from the start

During their opening addresses, Sunday was asked how he felt about the letter Williams had sent out in which he called Sunday a “progressive democrat” who “allowed the city of York to become one of the most violent places in the Commonwealth.”

In response, Sunday said that York has seen a decrease in gang violence by 80% and a 75% decrease in homicide.

Williams then continued on honing his sights on Sunday during his opening address, where he called Sunday a lifelong democrat who thinks the AG should not prosecute low -level crimes and there should be a reduction in the prison population.

When the candidates were asked about crime and how the next AG should handle the subject, both agreed that you need to go after felons who are in possession of guns in the Commonwealth.

However, Williams then focused on Sunday and what he called his “supposed work” in York County. “York is the leading state in murders per 100,000 people which is more than Philadelphia, more than Pittsburgh, more than New York and even Chicago. Just in December, my opponent let a double murderer off of death row because the trial courts said the instructions were improper.”

“To start, those facts are absolutely untrue. I have no idea where he is getting those facts from. I will tell you, when he was asked previously where he was getting this type of information from he said he got it from the people the GOP uses to look into opponents. I have no idea where that comes from,” Sunday said in response.

Should the next AG have a role in police-involved shootings?

When asked if the next AG should have a direct role in police-involved shootings or if it should be left up to the district attorney (DA) of each county, the candidates had two different answers.

Williams gave a resounding yes, that the next AG Should most definitely have a direct role when it comes to police-involved shootings. He blamed Democrats for the lack of trust that society has in police and said that the AG needs to be ready to step up.

“It is definitely a hot button issue right now, so why not step forward and give people the confidence that we came to the right answer,” Williams said.

Sunday had a bit of a different answer, where he said that at the end of the day, the information that is found should go directly to the hands of the DA.

Is illegal immigration a concern in Pennsylvania?

Although the original question posed to the candidates was if illegal immigration is a concern in the Commonwealth, Williams once again took aim at Sunday for work he has done in York.

While Williams did initially address the question head-on, saying that Pa. needs to have federal detainers in every single county, he then focused back to something Sunday had mentioned previously.

“I want to address this ‘work’ that has been going on in York County with regards to saving children. I would like to ask the question – what happened to Dante? The two-year-old who was sexually assaulted and ended up dying and you prosecuted the wrong man. He spent four and a half years in prison, went to a four-week trial and the jury found him not guilty in ten minutes,” Williams said.

In response, Sunday noted that some of the most difficult cases to exist in society are child death cases.

“My office has prosecuted close to 68 first degree murder trials since I took office, with a conviction rate of 94%. The officers that worked that case did everything in their power to find that defendant guilty and the judge ruled in that case we had given enough evidence to prove without a reasonable doubt, but the jury said no,” Sunday said in response.

Sunday then redirected the conversation back to the original question, where he said that he believes every state is a border state, and that he would do everything in his power to stop the supply of Fentanyl to the Commonwealth.

Is racial injustice an issue in Pennsylvania?

Both candidates were asked if they believed racial injustice, specifically in the criminal justice system, was an issue in the Commonwealth. Each agreed that there is the existence of racial injustice however, there were different answers as to why.

Sunday said that it all comes down to listening and understanding people’s frustrations in the justice system when it comes to racial injustice.

“During the summer of George Floyd, I made it my mission to spend as much time as humanly possible to go all throughout my community and just listen, because listening really is the key. What I discovered, is that we have a community, whether I agree or not, who firmly believe there are disparities within the criminal justice system,” Sunday said.

Williams said that he doesn’t believe listening gets the work done. Instead, he offered that the AG needs to be able to consistently sentence and charge everyone, no matter what they look like.

On the topic of the criminal justice system, both candidates echoed that they would use capital punishment if needed.

How should the next AG address the drug problem in Pa.?

Both candidates were very forward with their opinions on how to solve the drug and addiction problems in the Commonwealth as well as if marijuana should be legalized.

Williams believes that it is all about understanding the “why.” Understanding why people start using drugs, why people continue using drugs and why they feel like they have to. On the topic of legalizing marijuana, he said that while he is “not there yet” he also “does not want to be rigid on the issue.”

On the same issue, Sunday said that he would decrease the demand for drugs, make Narcan available and go after the supply of drugs. “The number one issue facing Pennsylvania is the Fentanyl epidemic,” he said.

When it came to the question of marijuana legalization, Sunday said that at this point he would not be on board with doing so.