3 takeaways from Eugene DePasquale’s press club appearance

Democratic nominee for attorney general Eugene Depasquale was this month’s featured Pennsylvania Press Club speaker, where he recounted his experience as a public official and made the case for why Pennsylvania voters should elect him as AG over his general election opponent, Republican nominee and York County District Attorney Dave Sunday. 

DePasquale, who formerly served as a state representative and state auditor general, touched on a variety of topics during his half-hour speech, ranging from personal perspectives on addiction and abortion to the top issues he thinks the next AG will need to address.

Among the highlights of DePasquale’s speech: 

1. His experience with ‘complex investigations’

DePasquale was quick to highlight his background with “complex investigations” as auditor general, noting that he has “already led a complicated state agency.” He framed himself as someone who could resist political pressure from both major parties, referencing his efforts to investigate how Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration decided on waivers for businesses during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He pointed to two specific investigations during his time as auditor general: one that called attention to Pennsylvania’s 3,000 untested rape kits in 2016, and another that highlighted more than 42,000 unanswered calls to the state’s child abuse hotline in 2015 – as blueprints for how he would tackle difficult and sensitive problems facing the state. “When I find a problem, I really don't care … who is between me and finishing the job,” he said.

DePasquale hasn’t served in public office since leaving the role of auditor general in 2021, as he was term-limited and could not run for another term. However, DePasquale said he is seeking to return to public life, in part, because he believes his experience can benefit the state. “I came out of what you would call public life retirement – not actual retirement – to run for this office because I believe my skills uniquely could help serve the people of this state,” he said.

2. His perspectives on addiction and abortion

DePasquale also offered a more personal side of himself during Monday’s press club speech. He opened up about his father’s battle with addiction after his dad served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. He told the story of how his father was shot twice in the right leg, and was later prescribed “synthetic heroin” by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which DePasquale said “led to an over 30-year battle with addiction, eventually him dealing and eventually a 10-and-a-half-year federal prison sentence.”

“I am seeking to become the first child of a convicted felon elected attorney general in Pennsylvania history, and only the second nationally,” DePasquale said. “What that did teach me was both sides of the criminal justice system, how we don't take care of our vets when they come back, and the United States’ war on drugs is the most failed war in the history of the United States, and we must turn it into a battle against addiction.”

He also offered a personal note on abortion access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling that overturned the court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed a federal right to an abortion. 

DePasquale said that in the fall of 1998, his wife had an ectopic pregnancy, and that she ultimately “was bleeding internally and had to make a decision.”

“It was technically an abortion at week 10. In the states of Florida, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, Idaho – today, we go to prison for that,” he said, before going on to outline his stance on abortion access. “I know what we had the right to (do) then. I will fight to make sure you have the right to that now – not just if you're in Pennsylvania – but for anyone fleeing one of these right-wing authoritarian states that need to come here for their reproductive freedom. I will protect their reproductive freedom, as well.”

3. Elections, public safety and health care are his top 3 issues

During the Q&A portion of DePasquale’s appearance, he was asked what his three top priorities would be if elected attorney general.

First and foremost, he said that the next AG will likely have to manage some outstanding lawsuits related to the results of the 2024 presidential election. “Whoever is the next (attorney general) will still be inheriting some of those lawsuits that are inevitable. So you got to make sure that it's a fair election – that will not necessarily be up to Dave or me, but certainly when it comes to managing the lawsuits going through, making sure that whoever the voters wanted in Pennsylvania, that's who's declared the winner. That's job one.”

DePasquale added that public safety, consumer protection and protecting abortion access will also be critical areas of concern for the next attorney general. His third point centered around the health care industry and ensuring large health systems don’t monopolize the industry. “I know there's been a lot of talk about giving the attorney general more authority when it comes to the health care industry,” he said, suggesting that without reforms, he’ll have to do that using the existing tools within the AG’s power. “You only have the tools you have,” he said, noting that he wants to stop monopolies and ensure health systems comply with their nonprofit status.