DV Journal

On April 23, Pennsylvania Republicans — and only registered Republicans — will pick their party’s nominee for attorney general. Two candidates, York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and Delaware Valley state Rep. Craig Williams, hope to get the nod.

The attorney general is arguably the second most powerful state official after the governor. In several recent cases, the Attorney General’s Office became a stepping stone to the governor’s mansion, including for the current governor, Josh Shapiro (D). Former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett also previously served as attorney general.

Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr., a former Montgomery County DA and county commissioner, is a Republican who served as acting attorney general after Democrat Kathleen Kane resigned following a conviction on perjury charges.

“The attorney general election is important mostly because it is a stepping-stone to the nomination for governor,” said Castor. “Most people think the attorney general is primarily a prosecutor. While that is far from the truth, perception is what matters. That is the only state row office which receives broad public attention.”

State Rep. Craig Williams

Sunday and Williams told DVJournal they are focused on the Attorney General’s Office and have no plans to run for governor.

“I think Pennsylvania is at a crossroads,” said Sunday, who has the endorsement of the state GOP. “If we can’t make our communities safer and healthier for our families and children, nothing else matters.”  Sunday is concerned about the world his third-grade son will grow up in.

Williams said, “I am focused on making Pennsylvania a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”

And Williams said that he can win the general election over whichever Democrat wins the primary.

“I have the most breadth of experience,” said Williams, who represents parts of Chester and Delaware Counties. “I have run two times in 2020 and 2022 in the state House elections that nobody thought I could win because of the political climate, be it Trump or abortion. I worked my tail off, and I brought a narrative that was winning, which is one of public service, being a community-minded guy, and being a tenacious fighter. And those narratives brought me home to two victories.”

Williams is a former federal prosecutor who served in Colorado and Philadelphia. Williams also served in the Marine Corps for nearly three decades, flew 56 combat missions, was decorated for valor in battle, and retired as a colonel. While in the Marines, he was a prosecutor and worked on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Williams served as deputy legal counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the war on terror.

Sunday is a Navy veteran who was deployed to the Persian Gulf and put himself through college and law school while working for UPS. He leads a large office that prosecutes about 9,000 cases annually. Sunday was previously chief deputy prosecutor of litigation. Twice elected district attorney, Sunday said his approach to public safety resulted in a 30 percent decrease in crime during his first term and reductions in the prison population by almost 40 percent since its peak, a reduced supervision caseload. He noted a recent study conducted by Indiana University of Pennsylvania shows offenders in York County have the lowest recidivism rate over five years compared to seven other counties.

“My philosophy of criminal justice is accountability and redemption,” Sunday told DVJournal. A lot of crime

York County District Attorney Dave Sunday

comes from drug addiction and mental illness, he said.

He started the York Opioid Collaborative, working with families, the “faith-based community,” and hospitals to “do everything we can to get people into treatment.”

Williams has used his legislative position to attack crime, including passing a law for a special prosecutor for crime on and near SEPTA and a crime and gun task force. He also led the charge to impeach progressive Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, whose bail “reforms” and downgrading of gun charges have been blamed for spiking violent crime in the city that spills over to the suburbs.

At their debate, Sunday said he opposes Krasner’s impeachment and would allow the voters to decide the matter.

Sunday’s call for redemption means “emptying jails” and “fewer prison sentences,” Williams said.

Williams pointed out that Sunday was a Democrat until he was 37 and ran for DA in a conservative county, while Williams is a lifelong Republican.

Sunday’s “troubling record on public safety, evidenced by York’s murder rate surpassing Philadelphia’s, casts doubt on the authenticity of his 2013 switch to the Republican Party,” said Mark Campbell, Williams’ campaign manager.

Sunday said he switched from the “blue dog” Democratic party of his working-class family to Republican when he realized the Democrats were no longer in synch with his values. He said he voted for John McCain in 2008.

Castor said he has concerns about the “flexible” scruples of a candidate who changed parties. But “if the ‘party-flipper’ is the party-endorsed candidate, though, (they) can use that as a counterweight. Under these facts, I suspect party-flipping is not a major issue with the party endorsement providing cover.”

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In his quest to become the next attorney general, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer received some major union support.

Stollsteimer, 60, who was just reelected as DA in November, recently announced he is running for state attorney general in 2024.

His campaign sent a press release saying Stollsteimer was endorsed by:

The Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council, representing 92 separate construction unions in Pennsylvania;

The Philadelphia Building Trades Council, representing more than 50 separate building trades unions in Southeastern Pennsylvania;

The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, representing two local carpenters unions, including in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Allentown, Scranton, and Lebanon;

and Teamsters Joint Council 53, located in Philadelphia, which represents more than 53,000 members.

Robert S. Bair, president of The Pennsylvania Building Trades Council, said Stollsteimer was the first DA in the state to prosecute big construction contractors for wage theft successfully.

“Jack’s support for construction workers has distinguished him from among his colleagues and saved millions for countless workers in Pennsylvania,” said Bair.

Sproule said, “Jack’s never forgotten his working-class roots. He’s a true champion for our members, and we’re proud to support him for attorney general. We know he’ll keep fighting to protect good union jobs in Pennsylvania.”

“My dad was a union bus driver, so I know how a good union job can support a family,” said Stollsteimer. “That’s why I am so thankful to have received all of this incredible support from within Pennsylvania’s labor community because they fight for good union jobs every single day.”

“When I’m attorney general of Pennsylvania, I will make damn sure that an honest day’s work results in an honest day’s pay for Pennsylvania workers,” Stollsteimer said.

Stollsteimer’s campaign listed his accomplishments as district attorney, including forming the Chester Partnership for Safe Neighborhoods. Three years in, it has helped reduce the gun violence homicide rate in the City of Chester by nearly 70 percent, Stollsteimer said.

He also pushed to put the for-profit Delaware County jail under government management and created diversionary programs for low-level offenders, reducing the number of inmates by 30 percent.

Stollsteimer touts the creation of an environmental crimes unit, and he sued opioid distributors to win millions to help those with substance abuse addiction.

Other Democrats running for the office include former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale; Joe Khan, the former Bucks County solicitor; Kier Bradford-Grey, a former public defender; and state Rep. Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia). The state Democratic Party meets this weekend to vote on its 2024 endorsements.

On the Republican side, Kat Copeland, former Delaware County DA and federal prosecutor, York County DA Dave Sunday, and state Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chester/Delaware), previously a federal prosecutor and a military prosecutor, are vying for votes in the April 23, 2024 primary.

Copeland and Stollsteimer faced off for the Delaware County District Attorney job in 2019.

Stollsteimer worked his way through college and law school. His dad was a SEPTA driver, and his mother was born in Soviet-held Ukraine. His maternal grandparents were Ukrainians who were captured by the Germans during World War II and forced into slave labor camps. After the war, they immigrated to the U.S.

Stollsteimer was hired as an assistant district attorney in 2000 before becoming a policy analyst and special assistant U.S. attorney for the Project Safe Neighborhoods gun violence initiative in 2001. In 2004, he was appointed assistant U.S. attorney and assigned to lead a gun violence task force.

In 2006, Gov. Ed Rendell appointed Stollsteimer as the state’s safe schools advocate for the Philadelphia School District. In that position, he publicly reported the school district’s failure to properly report violent crimes. He was appointed deputy state treasurer for consumer programs in 2017.

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Barely three weeks after Jack Stollsteimer was reelected as Delaware County District Attorney, the Democrat filed paperwork to run for state attorney general. He plans to formally announce at a Chester union hall on Tuesday.

Stollsteimer, 60, was first elected district attorney in 2019 in a contest against former Delaware County DA Kat Copeland. Copeland, a Republican, announced her bid for attorney general last week.

Stollsteimer laid the groundwork for his AG run, even as he campaigned for a second term as Delco DA.

In an internet campaign video titled “You Don’t Know Jack,” a labor leader touts Stollsteimer’s prosecution of construction companies that withheld workers’ wages, “No one ever seemed to give a damn.”

Stollsteimer says, “I gave a damn because an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay should mean something.”

“As AG, I’ll keep our communities safer, our criminal justice system fairer, and I’ll always protect abortion rights,” he said.

The crowded attorney general so far includes four other Democrats: former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale; Joe Khan, the former Bucks County solicitor; Kier Bradford-Grey, a former public defender; and state Rep. Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia).

In addition to Copeland on the Republican side, primary voters will decide whether to nominate York County District Attorney Dave Sunday and state Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chester/Delaware).

Stollsteimer’s campaign listed his accomplishments as district attorney, including forming the Chester Partnership for Safe Neighborhoods. Three years in, it has helped reduce the gun violence homicide rate in the City of Chester by nearly 70 percent, Stollsteimer says.

He also pushed to put the for-profit Delaware County jail under government management and created diversionary programs for low-level offenders, reducing the number of inmates by 30 percent.

Stollsteimer touts the creation of an environmental crimes unit, and he sued opioid distributors to win millions to help those with substance abuse addiction.

Additionally, he claims to have “decriminalized” possession of small amounts of marijuana, but critics like state Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chadd’s Ford) point out prosecutors don’t have the power to do that under laws passed by the legislature. “He can’t ‘decriminalize’ anything,'” said Williams, who is also launching his bid for attorney general on Tuesday.

Stollsteimer worked his way through college and law school.  His dad was a SEPTA driver, and his mother was born in Soviet-held Ukraine. His maternal grandparents were Ukrainians who were captured by the Germans during World War II and forced into slave labor camps. After the war, they immigrated to the U.S.

Stollsteimer was hired as an assistant district attorney in 2000 before becoming a policy analyst and special assistant U.S. attorney for the Project Safe Neighborhoods gun violence initiative in 2001. In 2004, he was appointed assistant U.S. attorney and assigned to lead a gun violence task force.

In 2006, Gov. Ed Rendell appointed Stollsteimer as the state’s safe schools advocate for the Philadelphia School District. In that position, he publicly reported the school district’s failure to properly report violent crimes. He was appointed deputy state treasurer for consumer programs in 2017.

Beth Stefanide-Miscichowski says it is time for a change in the Delaware County District Attorney’s office, and the county’s crime statistics prove it.

The Republican candidate for DA issued a statement Tuesday drawing attention to the number of murders committed in Delaware County last year.

“In 2022 – the last full year for which there is data – there were more homicides in Delaware County than in Chester County, Montgomery County, and Bucks County combined,” said Stefanide-Miscichowski. “According to the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), there were 45 murders and non-negligent manslaughter cases in Delaware County in 2022, versus 44 combined for all the other counties.”

Stefanide-Miscichowski, a former assistant district attorney now in private practice, added, “Public safety in our county has collapsed since DA Jack Stollsteimer took office in 2020.”

“Every day, we see headlines about crimes that shock our communities and consciences, from thefts and robberies to carjackings and homicides. DA Stollsteimer has shown that his priorities are political and ideological – not pragmatic and results-focused. Since 2020, the county justice system he runs has gone from supporting law enforcement, denouncing crime, and advocating punishment for offenders to one that supports criminals, allows them out on low or no bail, and reduces the prison population by one-third. Is it any surprise violent crime is skyrocketing?”

Asked for his response, Stollsteimer, a Democrat running for a second term, downplayed the issue.

“As everyone in local law enforcement knows, Delaware County always has a higher homicide rate than the other suburban counties,” said Stollsteimer. “In fact, for each of the last 10 years – no matter who was the DA or what their party registration – Delco has reported more homicides than its sister suburbs.”

Stefanide-Miscichowski, however, said it is time for solutions, not excuses.

“Mark my words – if change does not come soon, Delco will be a shell of what we have always known it to be – a safe place to own a home, raise your family, and thrive in a community. On November 7th, we must vote like our lives and the lives of those we love depend on it. They do. Vote for your neighbor who had their house broken into. Vote for your coworker who had their car stolen. Vote for the coffee shop you visit every morning that was robbed. Vote for the teenager in Upper Darby who was murdered earlier this year and whose killer still remains at large.

“A vote for all of them is a vote for the leadership and accountability I will bring to the Delaware County DA’s office on my very first day in office. The time for change is now,” she said.

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Crime surged 25 percent over the past year in Delaware County, and Beth Stefanide, who is running for district attorney, is laying the blame at the feet of incumbent Democrat Jack Stollsteimer.

“My philosophy is simple. When you’re the DA – the chief law enforcement officer in the county – you don’t get to pass the buck,” Stefanide said. “I refuse to believe that the actions or inaction of the Delco DA don’t impact crime rates.”

The two recently squared off in the Delco Times, where Stefanide faulted Stollsteimer’s stewardship, and Stollsteimer defended his record.

“The ‘proof is in the pudding’ and ‘the Devil is in the details,’ as I have told a jury countless times,” Stefanide told DVJournal. An eight-year veteran of the district attorney’s office, she now heads a law firm specializing in estate planning and elder law. She said she is “passionate” about public safety.

“Our chief law enforcement officer, the person responsible for charging and prosecuting people for crimes, says it isn’t his responsibility,” Stefanide said about Stollsteimer. “He is a feather in the wind.”

Stollsteimer declined repeated requests for comment from DVJournal, but in previous interviews, he noted that the homicide rate in Chester fell by 60 percent during his first three years in office, and gun violence dropped by 46 percent through the Chester Partnership for Safe Neighborhoods.

But over the past year, murder and manslaughter across Delaware County were both up by double digits.

Stefanide said the time for excuses is over.

“Delaware County DA Jack Stollsteimer admitted in a statement to the Delaware County Times that Delco has indeed experienced a 25 percent one-year increase in crime on his watch,” Stefanide said. “Instead of voicing an understanding of why so many Delco residents are alarmed at the increase – and expressing empathy for the victims and families the increase has impacted – all DA Stollsteimer could say was that it was ‘silly’ to lay the increase at his feet, blaming it on ‘national trends’ supposedly out of his control.”

“I refuse to believe that we must accept higher crime and more dangerous neighborhoods as our new normal,” she said. “The data are unequivocally clear. Delaware County has gotten increasingly unsafe. We require a DA who is willing to speak the truth, acknowledge the problem, and express a genuine willingness to accept responsibility for the county’s public safety. I will be a District Attorney who works hard to make change and exhibits the leadership, empathy, and focused approach required to make Delaware County a safer place to live.”

Stollsteimer told the Delco Times the crime trends are national and cited crime statistics under his predecessors.

“Delaware County is not immune to these national trends. However, it’s important to keep the data in perspective,” Stollseimer said.

“Last year, according to the Uniform Crime Reports collected by the Pennsylvania State Police, 12,832 crimes were reported by law enforcement agencies in our county. That is consistent with recent trends, matching the number of crimes reported under Republican DA Kat Copeland in 2018 but far below the 17,000 reported under Republican DA Jack Whelan in 2013 or the 19,000 reported under Republican DA Mike Green in 2011,” Stollsteimer said.

“Readers who appreciate the honorable service of my distinguished predecessors in this office will note the obvious silliness of Ms. Stefanide’s assertion that the number of crimes reported in the county somehow reflections a personal failure of the county’s top prosecutor,” he added.

Not silly at all, according to Stefanide.

“The statistics demonstrate that under former, accountability-focused, and experienced DA Kat Copeland, the number of crimes reported steadily decreased into 2020.”

“Under the current DA’s term, 2020 – 2023, crime has steadily increased and is up 25.5 percent on the last fully reported year alone. Delaware County has not one but two of the most dangerous municipalities in Pennsylvania in 2023,” Stefanide said.

“In real-time, presently in Delaware County, between Aug. 14  and 21, 2023, there were eight shootings!”

“Clearly,  deincarceration efforts such as ending cash bail, the failure to prosecute petty larceny, and eliminating a juvenile detention center are not working,” Stefanide added. “Defendants are not being held accountable, and the public is unsafe.”

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