# Attorney General

**In one sentence:** The Attorney General's office gives legal advice to Maryland state government, represents it in court, and enforces laws that protect residents' rights [1]. You may vote for 1 candidate.

## The candidates

### Anthony G. Brown (Democratic)
- **Background:** He is 64 years old and a lawyer [2]. His campaign says he went to law school at Harvard, served in the U.S. Army and is the son of immigrants (candidate's own claims) [4].
- **Top stated priorities:** He says he will keep challenging federal actions that threaten Maryland's education, transportation and other funding [2]. His campaign also names civil rights, gun safety laws, elder abuse and consumer and worker protection (candidate's own claims) [4].
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** He has been Attorney General since 2023. Before that, he served in the House of Delegates, as lieutenant governor for eight years and in Congress for three terms [2]. His office released a report on abuse by Catholic priests. It also won the power to prosecute deaths involving police [2]. The first officers it charged were cleared in September 2025 [2]. Maryland has led or joined more than 150 lawsuits, court briefs and advisory letters against Trump administration policies [2].

### James B. Rutledge, III (Republican)
- **Background:** He is 64 years old and has worked as a lawyer for four decades. His law office is in Harford County [2]. His campaign says he graduated with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law (candidate's own claim) [6].
- **Top stated priorities:** He says he will support police, go after organized crime and hold adult gang members responsible for crimes by the juveniles they recruit (candidate's own claims) [6]. He also says he will fight scams against seniors, pursue online predators and protect the Chesapeake Bay (candidate's own claims) [5].
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** He served as a Bel Air town commissioner from November 2023 to October 2025 [2]. He says he has fought for environmental protection as a lawyer [2]. Not found in sources checked: he has not held a statewide legal office.

## Where they differ
- **Suing the federal government:** Brown says he files only cases about issues families care about, such as school and transportation money [2]. Rutledge says the state should not sue Washington over policy disagreements [2].
- **Police oversight:** Rutledge supports a bill backed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). It would stop officers from being put on prosecutors' "do not call" lists without being told. Those lists name officers who may not be trusted as witnesses in court [2]. Brown points to body-worn cameras and oversight as useful ways to hold police accountable [2].
- **Endorsements:** The Maryland State FOP endorsed Rutledge [7]. The Maryland State Education Association [9] and the Maryland League of Conservation Voters [8] endorsed Brown.

## If you care most about...
- **How the state responds to federal policy:** Brown has challenged many federal actions [10]. Rutledge says those lawsuits should not be an automatic response [2].
- **Working with police:** The FOP endorsed Rutledge [7]. Brown's office prosecutes deaths involving police [2].
- **The environment:** Maryland LCV praised Brown for resisting federal environmental rollbacks [8]. Rutledge wants action to stop New York and Pennsylvania from dumping waste into the Susquehanna River [2].
- **Experience:** Brown has served almost 30 years in public office [2]. Rutledge has practiced law for about 40 years [2].

## What we could not verify
- Details of either candidate's courtroom career.
- Any candidate debate or League of Women Voters/Vote411 answers. Ballotpedia blocked access.
- Rutledge's earlier runs for office.

## Confidence
Medium. One detailed Maryland Matters article covers both candidates, but much of the priorities information comes from the campaigns themselves.

## Sources
[1] Office of the Attorney General home page - Maryland Office of the Attorney General - https://oag.maryland.gov/Pages/oag.aspx
[2] Rutledge faces steep climb to unseat Brown in low-key attorney general's race - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2026/10/13/rutledge-faces-steep-climb-to-unseat-brown-in-low-key-attorney-generals-race/
[3] Official 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election Results for Attorney General - Maryland State Board of Elections - https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/Primary_Results/gen_results_2026_3.html
[4] Anthony Brown campaign site (candidate's own claims) - Anthony Brown campaign - https://anthonybrown.com/
[5] Jim Rutledge for Attorney General (candidate's own claims) - Friends of Jim Rutledge - https://electjim.com/
[6] Maryland State FOP Endorses Jim Rutledge (press release, candidate's own claims) - Friends of Jim Rutledge - https://electjim.com/mdfopendorsesjimrutledgeforag/
[7] Rutledge Endorsements - Friends of Jim Rutledge - https://electjim.com/endorsements/
[8] Maryland LCV Endorses Brooke Lierman and Anthony Brown for Re-Election - Maryland League of Conservation Voters - https://www.mdlcv.org/press/maryland-lcv-endorses-brooke-lierman-and-anthony-brown-for-re-election
[9] Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General Receive 76,000 Educators' Support - Maryland State Education Association - https://marylandeducators.org/governor-comptroller-attorney-general-receive-76000-educators-support/
[10] Brown compiles 'voluminous' record of legal challenges to Trump administration policies - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/2025/11/07/brown-compiles-voluminous-record-of-legal-challenges-to-trump-administration-policies/