FILE - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court, April 17, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has been elected unanimously to serve as president-elect of the National Association of Attorneys General, although he’s hoping to be in the U.S. House before he gets a chance to serve as the association’s president.
Jackley was chosen as president-elect Monday by the nation’s attorneys general at their annual meeting in Washington, D.C. He had been serving as vice president for the past year.
“I am honored to serve alongside my fellow attorneys general as we enforce our state laws and promote sound law enforcement policies for our communities,” Jackley said in a news release. “Serving in this leadership role will strengthen my ability to address issues on a national level that are important to South Dakota.”
Jackley was previously elected president of the group in 2015, and was the first South Dakota attorney general to lead the association. Members are the attorneys general of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Virgin Islands.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who had been serving as president-elect, will be the association’s president for the coming year while Jackley serves as president-elect.
In the June 2026 primary election, Jackley is seeking the Republican nomination to run for South Dakota’s lone U.S. House seat. The current holder of the seat, Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson, is running for governor.
In a statement to South Dakota Searchlight, Jackley said he’s “focused on serving as the best attorney general I can be for South Dakota and president-elect of our nation’s attorneys general.” But, he added, “if blessed by the people of South Dakota, I will be a strong voice and leader for us in Congress.”
If Jackley wins the Republican nomination for U.S. House and also wins in the November 2026 general election, he would become a member of Congress in January 2027.
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