Republican AGs elect Leslie Rutledge chairman

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has been elected chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). The group announced its new leadership team Tuesday (Nov. 14) as it gears up for the 2018 elections.

Rutledge was sworn into office Jan. 13, 2015, and is the first woman and first Republican in Arkansas history to be elected to the office.

​“I am honored to be elected by my colleagues to lead RAGA during such a consequential cycle in which we have 30 races across the country,” Rutledge said in a statement. “Just as I have done in Arkansas, Republican attorneys general will defend the rule of law and serve as the champions of opportunity. Whether it is Arkansas, or across our nation, job creators and hardworking Americans rely on Republican AGs to ensure that the federal government will roll back burdensome regulations.”

RAGA also appointed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as vice chairman. The rest of the new executive committee includes Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi; Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr; Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill; Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt; Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry; Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson; and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.

In 2016 Republican attorneys general maintained their national majority, increasing the number of GOP attorneys general to 29.

Over the course of the 2015-2016 cycle, RAGA raised more than $23 million to support campaigns across the country.