Democratic candidates for Pa. attorney general debate on Channel 11

PHILADELPHIA — The three Democratic candidates for Pennsylvania Attorney General debated Thursday evening in a live broadcast on Channel 11.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. faced off against Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli and Montgomery County commissioner Josh Shapiro.

The candidates were asked about gun control, heroin, fracking, the Catholic Church investigation in Altoona and what qualifies them for the job as the state’s top law enforcement officer.

“There's absolutely no correlation between running a county and running a professional prosecutor’s office,” Zappala said.  “We're talking about prosecutors, lawyers and investigators.  That's entirely different than deciding how many times you're going to cut the grass in the park.”

“I'm the only candidate in this race who actually prosecuted criminal cases in the courtroom,” Morganelli said.

“More district attorneys in this commonwealth have endorsed me, than the two of them combined,” Shapiro said.

Two state legislators are competing for the Republican nomination: Sen. John Rafferty and Rep. Todd Stephens.

The Pennsylvania primary election is April 26.

Cox Media Group