Attorney General of Vermont

Vermont Attorney General
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$152,714
2025 FY Budget:	$16,470,545
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	Two years
Authority:	Vermont State Code, Title 3, Chapter 7, § 151
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Attorney General of Vermont Charity Clark Democratic Party Assumed office: January 5, 2023
Elections
Next election:	2026
Last election:	2024
Other Vermont Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Board

The Attorney General of Vermont is an elected executive position in the Vermont state government. The attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer in the state and is responsible for representing the state in all matters in which the state is a party or has an interest. The attorney general also advises the elective and appointive state officers on questions of law relating to their official duties and can present opinions on legal matters.

Vermont has a divided government where neither party holds a triplex. The Republican Party controls the office of governor, while the Democratic Party controls the offices of attorney general and secretary of state.

Current officeholder

The current Attorney General of Vermont is Charity Clark (D). Clark assumed office in 2023.

Authority

The office of Vermont Attorney General is established in Title 3, Chapter 7, § 151 of the Vermont State Code.

§ 151:

An attorney general shall be elected at the same time and in the same manner as provided for the election of other state officers. He or she shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of his duties. His or her term of office shall commence when his or her election is declared by the committee appointed by the senate and house of representatives to canvass the votes, agreeably with 17 V.S.A. { 2592, or when elected by the general assembly pursuant to said section, and continue for a term of two years.

Qualifications

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that establishes the requirements necessary to qualify for a state executive office. That information for the Attorney General of Vermont has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Elections

The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor are elected every two years, on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November.

2024

See also: Vermont Attorney General election, 2024

General election

General election for Attorney General of Vermont

Incumbent Charity Clark defeated Ture Nelson and Kevin Gustafson in the general election for Attorney General of Vermont on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charity Clark (D)	57.8	200,711
		Ture Nelson (R)	37.1	128,798
	Submit photo	Kevin Gustafson (Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont)	4.9	17,159
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	490

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 347,158
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• H. Brooke Paige (R)
• Elijah Bergman (Vermont Progressive Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont

Incumbent Charity Clark advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charity Clark	99.0	43,275
		Other/Write-in votes	1.0	416

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,691
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont

H. Brooke Paige advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		H. Brooke Paige	97.1	18,081
		Other/Write-in votes	2.9	548

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,629
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Vermont Progressive Party primary election

Vermont Progressive Party primary for Attorney General of Vermont

Elijah Bergman advanced from the Vermont Progressive Party primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elijah Bergman	87.9	270
		Other/Write-in votes	12.1	37

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 307
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2022

See also: Vermont Attorney General election, 2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of Vermont

Charity Clark defeated Michael Tagliavia in the general election for Attorney General of Vermont on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charity Clark (D)	65.1	179,098
		Michael Tagliavia (R)	34.8	95,661
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	467

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 275,226
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Elijah Bergman (Vermont Progressive Party)
• H. Brooke Paige (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont

Charity Clark defeated Rory Thibault in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charity Clark	67.1	58,589
		Rory Thibault	32.5	28,391
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	378

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 87,358
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont

H. Brooke Paige advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		H. Brooke Paige	95.7	20,668
		Other/Write-in votes	4.3	919

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,587
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Vermont Progressive Party primary election

Vermont Progressive Party primary for Attorney General of Vermont

Elijah Bergman advanced from the Vermont Progressive Party primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elijah Bergman	92.6	477
		Other/Write-in votes	7.4	38

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 515
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Vermont Attorney General election, 2020

General election

General election for Attorney General of Vermont

Incumbent T.J. Donovan defeated H. Brooke Paige and Cris Ericson in the general election for Attorney General of Vermont on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		T.J. Donovan (D)	67.7	234,081
		H. Brooke Paige (R)	27.5	94,892
		Cris Ericson (Vermont Progressive Party)	4.6	15,846
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	696

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 345,515
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont

Incumbent T.J. Donovan advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		T.J. Donovan	99.1	94,739
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	823

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 95,562
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont

H. Brooke Paige defeated Emily Peyton in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		H. Brooke Paige	49.4	21,574
		Emily Peyton	46.7	20,376
		Other/Write-in votes	3.9	1,705

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,655
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Vermont Progressive Party primary election

Vermont Progressive Party primary for Attorney General of Vermont

Cris Ericson advanced from the Vermont Progressive Party primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cris Ericson	58.1	414
		Other/Write-in votes	41.9	299

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 713
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Vermont Attorney General election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Vermont

Incumbent T.J. Donovan defeated Janssen Willhoit and Rosemarie Jackowski in the general election for Attorney General of Vermont on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		T.J. Donovan (D)	70.1	187,093
		Janssen Willhoit (R)	26.3	70,226
		Rosemarie Jackowski (Liberty Union Party)	3.6	9,536
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	166

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 267,021
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• H. Brooke Paige (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont

Incumbent T.J. Donovan advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		T.J. Donovan	100.0	58,714

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,714
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont

H. Brooke Paige advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Vermont on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		H. Brooke Paige	100.0	16,853

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,853
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Attorney General of Vermont, click [show] to expand the section.

2016 See also: Vermont Attorney General election, 2016 The general election for attorney general was held on November 8, 2016. T.J. Donovan defeated Deborah Bucknam and Rosemarie Jackowski in the Vermont attorney general election. Vermont Attorney General, 2016 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic T.J. Donovan 66.61% 200,020      Republican Deborah Bucknam 29.45% 88,431      Liberty Union Party Rosemarie Jackowski 3.94% 11,844 Total Votes 300,295 Source: Vermont Secretary of State 2014 See also: Vermont attorney general election, 2014 Democratic incumbent Bill Sorrell won re-election on November 4, 2014. Attorney General of Vermont, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William Sorrell Incumbent 58.6% 109,305      Republican Shane McCormack 37.3% 69,489      Liberty Union Rosemarie Jackowski 3.9% 7,342      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.1% 263 Total Votes 186,399 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State 2012 See also: Vermont attorney general election, 2012 Attorney General of Vermont General Election, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Bill Sorrell Incumbent 57.9% 164,441      Republican Jack McMullen 33.3% 94,588      Progressive Ed Stanak 5.5% 15,629      Liberty Union Rosemarie Jackowski 3% 8,533      Independent Write-in 0.2% 588 Total Votes 283,779 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State 2010 See also: Vermont Attorney General election, 2010 On November 2, 2010, William H. Sorrell won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Vermont. He defeated Aaron Michael Toscano (R) and 3 minor-party candidates in the general election. Attorney General of Vermont, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William H. Sorrell Incumbent 61.9% 143,031      Republican Aaron Michael Toscano 29.4% 67,900      Progressive Charlotte Dennett 4.4% 10,158      Libertarian Karen Kerin 2.7% 6,171      Liberty Union Rosemarie Jackowski 1.5% 3,576      Write-In Various 0.1% 137 Total Votes 230,973 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. 2008 On November 4, 2008, William H. Sorrell won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Vermont. He defeated Karen Kerin (R/L) and two minor-party candidates in the general election. Attorney General of Vermont, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William H. Sorrell Incumbent 72.6% 214,980      Republican/Libertarian Karen Kerin 18.7% 55,268      Progressive Charlotte Dennett 6% 17,730      Liberty Union Rosemarie Jackowski 2.5% 7,505      Write-In Various 0.2% 544 Total Votes 296,027 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. 2006 On November 7, 2006, William H. Sorrell won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Vermont. He defeated Dennis Carver (R) and Rosemarie Jackowski (Liberty Union) in the general election. Attorney General of Vermont, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William H. Sorrell Incumbent 69.3% 173,467      Republican Dennis Carver 27.1% 67,721      Liberty Union Rosemarie Jackowski 3.5% 8,773      Write-In Various 0.1% 339 Total Votes 250,300 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. 2004 On November 2, 2004, William H. Sorrell won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Vermont. He defeated Dennis Carver (R) and 4 minor-party candidates in the general election. Attorney General of Vermont, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William H. Sorrell Incumbent 58% 169,726      Republican Dennis Carver 30.8% 90,285      Progressive Susan A. Davis 4.9% 14,351      Vermont Green James Marc Leas 3% 8,769      Libertarian Karen A. Kerin 2.2% 6,357      Liberty Union Boots Wardinski 1% 2,944      Write-In Various 0.1% 267 Total Votes 292,699 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. 2002 On November 5, 2002, William H. Sorrell won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Vermont. He defeated Larry Drown (R) and 4 minor-party candidates in the general election. Attorney General of Vermont, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic William H. Sorrell Incumbent 56.6% 125,495      Republican Larry Drown 30.4% 67,360      Progressive Cindy Hill 7.3% 16,152      Vermont Grassroots Sandy Ward 2.8% 6,307      Libertarian Christopher Costanzo 1.8% 3,991      Liberty Union Boots Wardinski 1% 2,243      Write-In Various 0.1% 131 Total Votes 221,679 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. 2000 On November 7, 2000, William H. Sorrell won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Vermont. He defeated Sandy "Wells" Ward (Vermont Grassroots) in the general election. Attorney General of Vermont, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic/Republican William H. Sorrell Incumbent 84% 226,668      Vermont Grassroots Sandy "Wells" Ward 14.7% 39,713      Write-In Various 1.3% 3,585 Total Votes 269,966 Election results via Vermont Secretary of State.

Vacancies

Section 20 of the Vermont Constitution, grants the governor the power to fill a vacancy in the office by appointment. The appointee shall serve until the next regularly scheduled election.

Duties

The specific duties of the attorney general are outlined in Title 3, Chapter 7 of the Vermont State Code:

• may represent the state in all civil and criminal matters as at common law and as allowed by statute
• shall also have the same authority throughout the state as a state's attorney
• have the general supervision of criminal prosecutions
• consult with and advise the state's attorneys in matters relating to the duties of their office, and shall assist them by attending the grand jury in the examination of any cause or in the preparation of indictments and informations when, in his judgment, the interests of the state require it
• may appoint a deputy attorney general with the approval of the governor, remove him or her at pleasure and be responsible for his or her acts
• may appoint such assistant attorneys general and special assistant attorneys general as may be necessary for the proper and efficient performance of his department, and with the approval of the governor, fix their pay, remove them at pleasure and be responsible for their acts

Additionally, the attorney general, "shall advise the elective and appointive state officers on questions of law relating to their official duties and shall furnish a written opinion of such matters, when so requested. He shall have general supervision of matters and actions in favor of the state and of those instituted by or against state officers wherein interests of the state are involved and may settle such matters and actions as the interests of the state require."

Divisions

As of January 11, 2021, divisions within the Attorney General's Office included:

• Civil
• Civil Rights
• Community Justice
• Consumer Resources
• Criminal Justice
• Environmental Protection
• General Counsel and Administrative Law
• Human Services
• Medicaid Fraud & Residential Abuse Unit
• Public Protection

State budget

See also: Vermont state budget and finances

The budget for the attorney general's office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $16,470,545.

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The attorney general, along with the rest of Vermont's elected executives, is legally entitled to an annual salary in accordance with Title 32, Chapter 15 of the Vermont Statutes (32 V.S.A. § 1003). Taking into account value adjustments, the statute contains real compensation figures for the previous and current year only.

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $152,714, according to the Council of State Governments.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $145,579, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $139,755, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $139,755 according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $131,019 according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $131,019 according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $126,048 according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $118,581 according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $116,917 according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the attorney general received a salary of $113,901 according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the attorney general was paid an estimated $113,901. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

2010

In 2010, the attorney general was paid an estimated $108,202 according to the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

There have been 24 attorneys general of Vermont since 1904.

List of officeholders from 1904-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Clarke C. Fitts	1904-1908	Republican
2	John G. Sargent	1908-1912	Republican
3	Rufus E. Brown	1912-1915	Republican
4	Herbert G. Barber	1915-1919	Republican
5	Frank C. Archibald	1919-1925	Republican/Prohibition
6	J. Ward Carver	1925-1931	Republican/Prohibition/Citizens
7	Lawrence C. Jones	1931-1941	Republican
8	Alban J. Parker	1941-1947	Republican
9	Clifton G. Parker	1947-1953	Republican
10	F. Elliott Barber, Jr.	1953-1955	Republican
11	Robert T. Stafford	1955-1957	Republican
12	Frederick M. Reed	1957-1960	Republican
13	Thomas M. Debevoise	1960-1962	Republican
14	Charles J. Adams	1962-1963	Republican
15	Charles E. Gibson, Jr.	1963-1965	Republican
16	John P. Connarn	1965-1967	Democratic
17	James L. Oakes	1967-1969	Republican
18	James M. Jeffords	1969-1973	Republican
19	Kimberly B. Cheney	1973-1975	Republican
20	M. Jerome Diamond	1975-1981	Republican/Independent Vermonter
21	John J. Easton, Jr.	1981-1985	Republican/ Democratic
22	Jeffrey L. Amestoy	1985-1997	Republican
23	William H. Sorrell	1997-2017	Democratic
24	T.J. Donovan	2017-2022	Democratic
25	Susanne Young	2022-2023	Republican
26	Charity Clark	2022-Present	Democratic

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Vermont Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Attorney General of Vermont - Google News

Contact information

Vermont Attorney General's Office
109 State Street
Montpelier VT 05609

Phone: 802-828-3171

See also

• Vermont state executive offices
• Vermont state executive officials

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the Vermont Attorney General