Michigan's New Attorney General: First Democrat In 16 Years

MICHIGAN — A Democrat will hold the Michigan Attorney General's Office for the first time since 2002, according to reports. With 96 percent of precincts reporting Democrat Dana Nessel leads Republican House Speaker Tom Leonard 48.5-46.8 percent, according to the Associated Press. Leonard conceded Wednesday morning.

At 9:00 this morning, my opponent Tom Leonard called to concede.

Tom, you ran a great race. It has been an honor to run against you these last 4 months.

To all of my supporters, thank you. We made our dream a reality. I’m ready to do the work.
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) November" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/dananessel... 7, 2018

She is the first openly gay person to hold state office, the Metro Times reported. Current attorney general and losing gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette held the office for the last eight years.

Nessel is best known for successfully fighting to overturn Michigan’s ban on gay marriage.
Nessel, 49, has been a Detroit-area prosecutor and defense attorney but made headlines as co-counsel in the historic lawsuit that led to same-sex marriage in Michigan. She said the case influenced her to run for office andsaid Schuette “made a mockery of state government” by bringing social scientists to court to knock the parenting skills of same-sex couples.

According to the Metro Times, Nessel blasted Republicans' approach to criminal justice during her campaign saying their "policies are inhumane, costly, and do nothing to enhance public safety."

She supported marijuana legalization and says she'll fight for legislation to expunge past marijuana-related convictions.

She could not give a victory speech Tuesday night because of the close race but thanked her supporters. She also told Between the Lines that her priorities will be to protect the environment, senior citizens and consumers while addressing marijuana laws and fighting for civil rights.

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