The 2014 New York Attorney General election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Attorney General of New York. The incumbent Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman won reelection to a second term in office, defeating Republican John P. Cahill.

Incumbent Democratic attorney general Andrew Cuomo declined to run for reelection in 2010, instead successfully running for Governor. State Senator Eric Schneiderman narrowly won the Democratic primary and then won the general election by a wide margin.

In 2014, all statewide offices in New York were held by Democrats. Republicans believed that their best chance of winning a statewide election in 2014 rested on defeating Schneiderman, citing Governor Cuomo's high approval ratings and large campaign war chest and the belief that Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli was unlikely to be vulnerable because "Comptrollers seem to get re-elected as long as they do their jobs." Schneiderman has used his designation as Republicans' "top target" to raise money.

Governing did not believe Schneiderman would be defeated in 2014. A March 2013 article listed the 2014 New York attorney general election as "not competitive", citing the high-profile cases Schneiderman had taken on. A December 2013 article rated the race as "Safe Democratic", stating that "Schneiderman should have no problem winning a second term."

Democratic primary Candidates Nominated Eric Schneiderman, incumbent attorney general

Withdrew Aniello "Neil" Grimaldi (removed from ballot)Lovett, Kenneth (July 21, 2014). Republican John Cahill looks to block primary—for Democratic opponent. New York Daily News. Retrieved July 21, 2014.

Republican primary Candidates Nominated John P. Cahill, attorney and former chief of staff for Governor George Pataki

Declined Michael A. Battle, former Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys and former United States Attorney for the Western District of New York Daniel M. Donovan, Jr., District Attorney of Richmond County and nominee for Attorney General in 2010 Michael J. Garcia, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Randy Mastro, attorney and former chief of staff to Rudy Giuliani Marc Mukasey, attorney and stepson of former United States Attorney General Michael Mukasey Dennis Vacco, former attorney generalLovett, Kenneth (March 19, 2014). Former NY Attorney General Dennis Vacco Says He's Been Asked To Consider Another Run. New York Daily News. Retrieved March 19, 2014.

Major third parties Besides the Democratic and Republican parties, the Conservative, Green, Independence and Working Families parties all enjoyed automatic ballot access as qualified New York parties in 2014.

Conservative Candidates Nominated John P. Cahill, Republican nominee

Green Candidates Nominated Ramon Jimenez, attorney from The BronxYusko, Dennis (May 18, 2014). In Troy, Hawkins gets Green Party nod. Times Union. Retrieved May 18, 2014.

Independence Candidates Nominated Eric Schneiderman, incumbent attorney general

Working Families Candidates Nominated Eric Schneiderman, incumbent attorney general

Minor third parties Any political party other than the six qualified New York parties (Democratic, Republican, Conservative, Green, Independence and Working Families) was required to petition their way onto the ballot.

Libertarian Candidates Nominated Carl Person, nominee for Attorney General in 2010, candidate for President of the United States in 2012 and Reform Party nominee for Mayor of New York City in 2013Odato, James (April 26, 2014). Libertarians unite behind Suffolk County real estate broker. Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved April 29, 2014.

Stop Common Core Candidates Nominated John P. Cahill, Republican nominee

Women's Equality Candidates Nominated Eric Schneiderman, incumbent attorney general

General election Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror EricSchneiderman (D) John P.Cahill (R) Other UndecidedSiena CollegeSiena College October 16–20, 2014 748 ± 3.6% 55% 35% 0% 10%Siena CollegeSiena College September 18–23, 2014 809 ± 3.4% 50% 34% — 15%In The FieldIn The Field◆ September 8, 2014 600 ± 4% 36.8% 29.7% — 33.5%Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac University August 14–17, 2014 1,034 ± 3.1% 51% 29% 1% 19%Siena CollegeSiena College July 13–16, 2014 774 ± 3.5% 53% 31% 0% 16%Siena CollegeSiena College June 8–12, 2014 835 ± 3.4% 52% 27% 0% 22%Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac University May 14–19, 2014 1,129 ± 2.9% 46% 27% 1% 25% ◆ Internally-conducted poll for the John P. Cahill campaign that he was required by state law to publish after parts of the poll were revealed in a fundraising appeal.

Results Attorney General election in New York, 2014 PartyCandidateVotesPercentage Democratic Eric T. Schneiderman 1,790,006 48.18% Working Families Eric T. Schneiderman 169,037 4.55% Independence/ Women's Equality Eric T. Schneiderman 110,913 2.99% Total Eric T. Schneiderman (incumbent) 2,069,956 55.71% Republican John P. Cahill 1,261,641 33.96% Conservative/ Stop-Common-Core John P. Cahill 277,349 7.46% Total John P. Cahill 1,538,990 41.42% Green Ramon Jimenez 80,813 2.18% Libertarian Carl E. Person 24,746 0.67% Write-ins 1,031 0.03% Totals 3,715,536 100.00% Democratic Hold

References

External links New York Attorney General election, 2014 at Ballotpedia