Louis Jacobson gives us his outlook on the all important Attorney General races.

From Governing.com:

Following Republican gains in 2010, the partisan breakdown of the nation’s attorney general offices is closer than it has been at any time in recent memory. Now, as the 2011-2012 election cycle gets under way, a majority of the 13 contests to be held over the next two years look like they will be competitive.

The campaign season isn’t fully under way yet. In fact, in many cases, the list of challengers is still a matter of speculation. As a result, these ratings only offer a baseline assessment.

That said, Governing is placing six of the 13 races to be held over the next two years in the tossup category. They include four Democratic-held seats (Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana and West Virginia) and two Republican-held seats (Pennsylvania and Washington state).

We rate three other contests in the slightly less competitive lean Democratic category — Louisiana, Missouri and North Carolina. These three states all have Democratic AGs at present.

The four remaining contests in 2011-12 are looking strong for the incumbent party — Utah and Indiana for the Republicans, Oregon and Vermont for the Democrats. So the nine races rated tossup or lean Democratic could tip the overall balance of AG seats between the two parties.

Read the Rest…