View source for T. J. Donovan

{{Short description|American lawyer and politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name                = T. J. Donovan
|image               = T.J. Donovan.jpg
|office              = 26th [[Vermont Attorney General|Attorney General of Vermont]]
|governor            = [[Phil Scott]]
|term_start          = January 5, 2017
|term_end            = June 20, 2022
|predecessor         = [[William Sorrell|Bill Sorrell]]
|successor           = [[Josh Diamond (lawyer)|Josh Diamond]] (Acting)
|office1             = State's Attorney of [[Chittenden County, Vermont|Chittenden County]]
|term_start1         = January 11, 2007
|term_end1           = January 3, 2017
|predecessor1        = Bob Simpson
|successor1          = [[Sarah George (politician)|Sarah George]]
|birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1974|1|15}}
|birth_place         = [[Burlington, Vermont]], U.S.
|death_date          =
|death_place         =
|party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse              = Jessica McCloud
|children            = Jack and emmet
|education           = [[Merrimack College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Suffolk University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
|website             = {{url|donovanforvermont.com|Campaign website}}
}}
'''Thomas J. "T. J." Donovan Jr.''' (born January 15, 1974<ref name="TJ Donovan Facebook page">{{cite web |url= https://www.facebook.com/tjdonovanVT/info/|title =TJ Donovan Facebook page|website =[[Facebook]]| access-date=August 2, 2016}}</ref>) is an American lawyer and politician who served as [[Vermont Attorney General]] from 2017 to 2022. He was first elected in 2016 with over 66 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://vtelectionresults.sec.state.vt.us/Index.html#/state|title =Vermont Election Results | access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> He previously served for ten years as [[State's Attorney]] of [[Chittenden County, Vermont|Chittenden County]], the most populous county in Vermont.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=767549|title = Our Campaigns - Chittenden County State's Attorney Race - Nov 07, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/203288199/ |title=9 Jan 2007, Page 11 - The Burlington Free Press at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=2007-01-09 |accessdate=2022-06-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=821737|title = Our Campaigns - Chittenden County State's Attorney Race - Nov 04, 2014}}</ref>
Donovan is known for starting the Rapid Intervention Community Court (RICC) in Chittenden County,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://crimesolutions.ojp.gov/ratedprograms/643|title=Program Profile: Rapid Intervention Community Court (Chittenden County, Vt.)|website=CrimeSolutions, National Institute of Justice}}</ref> a criminal justice program made available to non-violent offenders whose crimes have been driven by addiction or mental illness.
During his first month in office, Attorney General Donovan joined sixteen other states in [[Legal challenges to Executive Order 13769|an ''amicus'' brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals]].  The brief opposes President Trump's executive order banning on immigrants from certain Muslim countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vtdigger.org/2017/02/09/17-attorneys-general-file-amicus-brief-support-virginias-lawsuit-president-trumps-immigration-ban/|title=17 Attorneys General File Amicus Brief in Support of Virginia's Lawsuit Against President Trump's Immigration Ban|date=2017-02-09|website=VTDigger|access-date=2017-02-17}}</ref>  Donovan also joined Republican Governor [[Phil Scott]] in proposing legislation to require the governor's approval before state and local police could conduct federal immigration enforcement work.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vtdigger.org/2017/02/09/scott-throws-challenge-immigration-enforcement/|title=Scott throws down challenge to immigration enforcement|date=2017-02-09|website=VTDigger|access-date=2017-02-17}}</ref>
A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Donovan challenged incumbent Vermont attorney general [[William Sorrell]] for the Democratic nomination to become the Vermont Attorney General in the [[Vermont elections, 2012|elections of 2012]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dobbs |first1=Taylor |title=A primary question: Can Donovan unseat Sorrell? |url=https://www.vtcng.com/stowe_reporter/news/donovan-challenges-sorrell-in-ag-race/article_1e767976-ab29-11e1-b430-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref> His campaign that year was centered on the [[prescription drug abuse]] epidemic throughout Vermont, and resulted in a very narrow primary defeat.<ref>{{cite web|last=Editor|first=V. T. D.|date=2012-08-29|title=Sorrell leads race by about 600 votes, but victory not definitive; Donovan hasn't conceded|url=https://vtdigger.org/2012/08/29/sorrell-leads-race-by-about-600-votes-but-victory-not-definitive-donovan-hasnt-conceded/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=VTDigger|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2014, he ran for re-election as state's attorney of Chittenden County, choosing not to challenge Sorrell a second time.<ref>{{cite news |title=T.J. Donovan won't run for attorney general |url=http://www.wptz.com/news/vermont-new-york/burlington/tj-donovan-wont-run-for-attorney-general/24035222|date=2014-01-21 |publisher=[[WPTZ]] |access-date=2016-05-26}}</ref>
== Early life and family ==
Donovan was born in [[Burlington, Vermont]] in 1974.<ref name="TJ Donovan Facebook page"/> He is one of six children born to attorney Thomas J. Donovan (deceased) and [[Johannah Leddy Donovan]], a member of the [[Vermont House of Representatives]].  He is the grandson of [[Bernard Joseph Leddy]] (March 18, 1910 – January 9, 1972) a United States federal judge.  Donovan graduated from [[Burlington High School (Vermont)|Burlington High School]] in 1992 and attended [[Merrimack College]], graduating with a degree in political science in 1996.  He graduated from [[Suffolk Law School]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.facebook.com/tjdonovanVT/info|title =TJ Donovan Facebook page|website =[[Facebook]]| access-date=August 2, 2016}}</ref>
Donovan is married to Jessica McCloud. The couple has two children.<ref name="donovanforvermont.com">{{cite web | url=http://donovanforvermont.com/about/ |title =TJ Donovan Official Campaign website | access-date=August 2, 2016}}</ref>
During his 2012 campaign for Vermont Attorney General, Donovan acknowledged his arrest for assault as a teenager.<ref>{{cite news |last=Heintz |first=Paul |date=June 13, 2012 |title=T.J. Comes Clean: Vermont AG Candidate Had a Criminal Record of His Own |url=http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/tj-comes-clean-vermont-ag-candidate-had-a-criminal-record-of-his-own/Content?oid=2184249 |newspaper=Seven Days |location=Shelburne, VT |ref={{sfnRef|"T.J. Comes Clean"}}}}</ref>  In a plea bargain, the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, and Donovan received a deferred sentence.  His record was expunged after he completed the terms of his plea agreement.{{sfn|"T.J. Comes Clean"}}  Donovan pointed to this experience as a critical moment in his personal development, when began to act more maturely and think about his future.  He also detailed the advantages he had in dealing with the criminal justice system as the son of an attorney, which might not have been available to a similarly situated teenager living in poverty with fewer personal, professional, and political connections.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hewett|first=Elizabeth| url=https://vtdigger.org/2016/10/02/tj-donovan-looking-to-spread-a-progressive-vision-of-justice/| title = TJ Donovan: Looking to Spread Progressive Vision of Justice| date= October 2, 2016}}</ref> He described this incident as instructive, stating that it guided him to a sense of empathy and obligation to help others navigate the criminal justice system and receive a second chance when circumstances warrant.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kenyon|first=Jim |url=http://www.vnews.com/New-Vermont-AG-Makes-Criminal-Justice-Reform-A-Priority-6623636| title = Jim Kenyon: For T.J. Donovan, Justice Reform Is Personal| date= December 3, 2016}}</ref>
== Early career ==
Donovan began his legal career in the District Attorney's Office of [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], as a criminal prosecutor. Donovan returned to Vermont in 2002, working as a Deputy State's Attorney in Chittenden County.<ref name="donovanforvermont.com"/> He left to become an associate at the Burlington law firm of Jarvis & Kaplan, where he focused on criminal defense, civil litigation, and family matters. In 2006, after winning a three-way Democratic primary, Donovan was elected Chittenden County State's Attorney. The Chittenden County State's Attorney's Office is the busiest county prosecutor's office in the state of Vermont, handling over 5000 criminal cases and 300 Family Court cases annually.  There, Donovan led a staff of 28, including, attorneys, victim advocates, and administrative assistants.  Donovan was re-elected in 2010 and 2014.<ref name="donovanforvermont.com"/>
In 2010, Donovan started the Rapid Intervention Community Court ("RICC"), an award-winning criminal justice program made available to non-violent offenders whose crimes have been driven by addiction or mental illness.<ref>{{cite web  |last= Thurston |first=Jack |url=http://www.necn.com/news/health/Id-Definitely-Be-Dead-Recovering-Heroin-Addict-Credits-Diversion-Program-With-Saving-Life-273129341.html| title ="I'd Definitely Be Dead:" Recovering Heroin Addict Credits Diversion Program With Saving Life. | publisher =necn.com | date = August 28, 2014}}</ref>  He is co-chair of former Vermont governor [[Peter Shumlin]]'s ''Criminal Justice and Substance Abuse Cabinet''.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://governor.vermont.gov/boards_and_commissions/criminal_justice_substance_abuse | title =Governor's Criminal Justice and Substance Abuse Cabinet. | publisher =governor.vermont.gov | access-date= August 1, 2016}}</ref>
== Political career ==
[[File:2017 03TJ.jpg|thumb|Donovan at Canadian Heritage Conference, UVM, March 20, 2017]]
In 2012, Donovan challenged incumbent Vermont Attorney General [[William Sorrell]] in the Democratic Party primary.  Donovan campaigned, among other things, for access under the Access to Public Records Act to police investigations<ref>{{cite web |last= Dobbs |first=Taylor | url=http://vtdigger.org/2012/06/13/as-ag-donovan-says-he-would-press-for-public-disclosure-of-information-about-criminal-investigations/| title = As AG, Donovan says he would press for public disclosure of information about criminal investigations.| publisher = vtdigger.org | date=June 13, 2012}}</ref> and the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana.<ref>{{cite web |last= Dobbs |first=Taylor | url=http://vtdigger.org/2012/06/27/donovan-proposes-pot-decriminalization-as-part-of-recidivism-reduction-plan/| title = Donovan proposes pot decriminalization as part of recidivism reduction plan.| publisher = vtdigger.org | date=June 27, 2012}}</ref> One of his focuses in the campaign was to highlight the opioid epidemic afflicting Vermont communities.  Donovan lost the hotly contested primary by 714 votes, with Sorrell receiving 21,124 votes to Donovan's 20,410.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://vtelectionarchive.sec.state.vt.us/elections/search/year_from:2012/year_to:2012/office_id:12/stage:Democratic | title =Vermont Secretary of State, Historical Election Archive, 2012, Attorney General, Democratic Primaries. | access-date= August 1, 2016}}</ref>  During the last weeks of the primary, a super PAC with unknown donors ran advertisements for the incumbent narrated by former Governor [[Howard Dean]].<ref>{{cite web |last= Dobbs |first=Taylor | url=http://vtdigger.org/2012/08/10/donovan-insists-that-the-vermont-attorney-general-ask-for-removal-of-political-action-committee-ad/| title =Donovan insists that the Vermont Attorney General ask for removal of political action committee ad. | date= August 10, 2012}}</ref>
Several of the principal issues that Donovan advocated in the 2012 campaign were enacted into law in the next Legislative session, including access to records of police investigations,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/Documents/2014/Docs/ACTS/ACT070/ACT070%20As%20Enacted.pdf| title =No. 70. An act relating to criminal investigation records and the Vermont Public Records Act, Act No. 70, § 1; 2013, No. 129 (2013 Adj. Sess.). | publisher =http:// legislature.vermont.gov / | date= June 4, 2013}}</ref> a Good Samaritan law to help prevent fatal opiate overdoses<ref>{{cite web |last= Poli |first=Dominic | url=http://www.reformer.com/reformereditorials/ci_20594740/tj-donovan-hopes-unseat-ag-sorrell| title = TJ Donovan hopes to unseat AG Sorrell.| publisher = Brattleboro Reformer | date=May 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/Documents/2014/Docs/ACTS/ACT071/ACT071%20As%20Enacted.pdf| title = No. 71. An act relating to limited immunity from liability for reporting a drug or alcohol overdose, Act No. 71 (2013 Adj. Sess.). | publisher =http:// legislature.vermont.gov / | date= June 5, 2013}}</ref> and decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana.<ref>{{cite web |last= Blaisdell |first=Eric | url=http://www.timesargus.com/article/20130414/NEWS01/705039987| title = Police, prosecutors criticize pot bill.| publisher = Barre-Montpelier Times Argus | date=April 14, 2013 | access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= http://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/Documents/2014/Docs/ACTS/ACT076/ACT076%20As%20Enacted.pdf| title = No. 76. An act relating to civil penalties for possession of marijuana, Act No. 76 (2013 Adj. Sess.). | publisher =http:// legislature.vermont.gov / | date= June 6, 2013}}</ref>
In March 2014, Donovan was reelected as Chittenden County State's Attorney, running unopposed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://vtelectionarchive.sec.state.vt.us/elections/search/year_from:2014/year_to:2014/office_id:530/district_id:33498 | title =Vermont Secretary of State, Historical Election Archive, 2014, State's Attorney, Chittenden County, All Elections.| access-date= August 1, 2016}}</ref>  While his office prosecuted many violent felonies, he also worked to reduce recidivism and, where appropriate, utilized a collaborative approach to addressing criminality.
In February 2015, Donovan announced a traffic-ticket amnesty program to allow persons with suspended licenses to pay each unpaid traffic ticket for $20 in a one-day trial.<ref>{{cite web |last=True|first=Morgan| url= http://vtdigger.org/2015/02/24/state-give-dls-drivers-break-march-20/| title = State to give DLS drivers a break March 20| date= February 24, 2015}}</ref>  On March 20, 2015, more than a thousand people lined up outside the Edward Costello Courthouse in Burlington to recover their driver's licenses.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dillon|first=John| url=http://digital.vpr.net/post/drivers-license-amnesty-program-draws-more-1000#stream/0| title = Driver's License Amnesty Program Draws More Than 1,000 | date= March 20, 2015}}</ref>  A similar program was offered in other counties and, in 2016, the legislature passed a law to allow such programs statewide.<ref>{{cite web |last= Neubauer |first=Kelsey| url= http://vtdigger.org/2016/05/31/new-license-law-corrects-financial-injustice-governor-says/ | title = New license law corrects financial injustice, Governor says.|date= May 31, 2016}}</ref>
On October 15, 2015, Donovan announced his candidacy for Vermont Attorney General in the 2016 election.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last= Hallenbeck |first=Terri| url=http://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2015/10/15/tj-donovan-kicks-off-bid-for-attorney-general | title = T.J. Donovan Kicks Off Bid for Attorney General.| publisher = www.sevendaysvt.com | date= October 15, 2015}}</ref>  He won the November 2016 general election by defeating Republican nominee Deborah Bucknam.<ref>{{cite news |last=Keefe |first=Alex |date=November 9, 2016 |title=T.J. Donovan Will Be Vermont's First New Attorney General Since 1997 |url=http://digital.vpr.net/post/tj-donovan-will-be-vermonts-first-new-attorney-general-1997#stream/0 |newspaper=Vermont Public Radio |location=VPR}}</ref>
On July 23, 2019 he officially [https://twitter.com/JTHVerhovek/status/1153757689673060357 endorsed] [[Bernie Sanders]]' presidential campaign.
Donovan announced on May 5, 2022 that he would not seek reelection as Attorney General.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Riley |last2=Duffort |first2=Lola |last3=Keays |first3=Alan J. |date=2022-05-05 |title=TJ Donovan won't seek reelection as Vermont attorney general |url=https://vtdigger.org/2022/05/05/tj-donovan-wont-seek-reelection-as-vermont-attorney-general/ |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=VTDigger |language=en-US}}</ref> The following month, he announced that he would resign as Attorney General effective June 20 to become Director of Public Policy and U.S. State Strategies at [[Roblox Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-10 |title=Vermont attorney general announces resignation |url=https://www.mynbc5.com/article/vermont-attorney-general-announces-resignation/40256216 |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=WPTZ |language=en}}</ref>
== Political positions ==
While Donovan has focused on prosecuting serious crime, and particularly violent crime, he has attempted an innovative approach to persons struggling with addiction and poverty who end up in the criminal justice system.  Donovan has focused on ultimate outcomes not only for the victims of crime but for the perpetrators in order to reduce recidivism and rehabilitate offenders.  Donovan often summarized his approach by stating he believes that "the best form of public safety is a good job."<ref name="auto"/>
In his October 2015 announcement for the Democratic Party nomination for Vermont Attorney General, Donovan called for the abolition of the use of private prisons in Vermont.  He stated, "No more private prisons. End the contracts with the for-profit companies ... and bring the Vermonters home. This is a moral test of our generation in this state."<ref>{{cite web |last= Dobbs |first=Taylor| url= http://digital.vpr.net/post/campaign-launch-tj-donovan-calls-criminal-justice-reform#stream/0| title = At Campaign Launch, TJ Donovan Calls For Criminal Justice Reform.| publisher = digital.vpr.net | date= October 15, 2015}}</ref> As of that time, approximately 271 male incarcerated persons from Vermont were housed in a private prison in [[Baldwin, Michigan]],<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |last= Burbank |first=April| url= http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/16/shumlin-defends-private-prison-contracts/75893826/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=| title = Shumlin defends private prison contracts.| publisher = www.burlingtonfreepress.com | date= November 16, 2015}}</ref> operated by [[GEO Group|GEO, Inc.]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.geogroup.com/Maps/LocationDetails/132|title= North Lake Correctional Facility, 1805 West 32nd Street, Baldwin, MI.|publisher= The Geo Group, Inc.|access-date= August 1, 2016|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160717211740/http://www.geogroup.com/Maps/LocationDetails/132|archive-date= July 17, 2016}}</ref>  A month later, the Vermont Commissioner of Corrections Lisa Menard said that she wanted to "substantially reduce, hopefully eliminate, usage of out-of-state beds. That keeps Vermont inmates and Vermont dollars in Vermont."<ref name="auto1"/>
Donovan has worked to reduce recidivism on lesser crimes by trying to address the causes of criminality, prevention and collaborative solutions.  For Vermonters struggling with drug addiction, he has sought alternatives to incarceration, noting that Vermont spends more on incarceration than on higher education,<ref>{{cite web |last= Lobosco |first=Katie| title =11 states spend more on prisons than on higher education.| url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/10/01/pf/college/higher-education-prison-state-spending/ | publisher = money.cnn.com | date=October 1, 2015}}</ref> and that housing is a major problem. His efforts include advocating for medical treatment on demand for drug addiction, alternatives to incarceration and vigorous enforcement coupled with meaningful intervention and effective prevention strategies.
Donovan has also sought to enhance communication among law enforcement and the mental health community.  He advocated for passage of "ban the box" legislation to prevent employers from inquiring about criminal history on initial job applications.<ref>{{cite web |last= Donovan |first=TJ| url=http://vtdigger.org/2016/05/01/t-j-donovan-creating-a-more-level-playing-field/ | title =T.J. Donovan: Creating a more level playing field.| publisher = vtdigger.org | date=May 1, 2016}}</ref>  After passing the legislature with overwhelming support, Vermont governor Peter Shumlin signed the bill into law on May 3, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://governor.vermont.gov/press-release/%E2%80%98ban-box%E2%80%99-bill-becomes-law-vermont | title ='Ban the Box' bill becomes law.| date=May 3, 2016}}</ref>
== Electoral history ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |Chittenden County State's Attorney General Election, 2006<ref>{{cite web |url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yW1K9xCm9xbZhKTMP31be_KXOURFd0S-7n5TgZV1L4Y/edit#gid=1592495209 | title = 2006 State's Attorney General Election, Chittenden County| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State | access-date = October 4, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|37,497
|60.7
|-
|Republican
|John St. Francis
|21,439
|34.7
|-
|Independent
|Paul Charles Duprat
|2,853
|4.6
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |Chittenden County State's Attorney Democratic Primary Election, 2010<ref>{{cite web |url= http://vtelectionarchive.sec.state.vt.us/elections/view/69569/| title = 2010 State's Attorney Democratic Primary, Chittenden County| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|14,288
|99.7
|-
|Democratic
|Write-ins
|41
|0.3
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |Chittenden County State's Attorney General Election, 2010<ref>{{cite web |url= http://vtelectionarchive.sec.state.vt.us/elections/view/69795/| title = 2010 State's Attorney General Elections, Chittenden County| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State | access-date= October 2, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|48,019
|88.8
|-
|Republican
|Paul Charles Duprat
|6,086
|11.2
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Attorney General Democratic Primary Election, 2012<ref>{{cite web |url= http://vtelectionarchive.sec.state.vt.us/elections/view/68424/| title = 2012 Attorney General, Democratic Primary| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State | access-date= October 2, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|20,410
|49.1%
|-
|Democratic
|[[William Sorrell]]
|21,124
|50.8%
|-
|Democratic
|Write-ins
|66
|0.2%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |Chittenden County State's Attorney Democratic Primary, 2014<ref>{{cite web |url= http://vtelectionarchive.sec.state.vt.us/elections/view/68066/| title = 2014 State's Attorney Democratic Primary, Chittenden County| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State | access-date= October 2, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|3,913
|100.0
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |Chittenden County State's Attorney General Election, 2014<ref>{{cite web |url= http://vtelectionarchive.sec.state.vt.us/elections/view/68294/| title = 2014 State's Attorney General Election, Chittenden County| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State | access-date= October 2, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|39,078
|100.0
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Attorney General Democratic Primary Election, 2016<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.sec.state.vt.us/media/779077/2016-primary-election-winners-listing.pdf| title = 2016 Attorney General, Democratic Primary results| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State | access-date= October 2, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|49,017
|80.2%
|-
|Democratic
|[[H. Brooke Paige]]
|11,917
|19.5%
|-
|Democratic
|Write-ins
|214
|0.3%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Attorney General General Election Unofficial Results, 2016<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vtelectionresults.sec.state.vt.us/Index.html#/state| title = 2016 Attorney General, General Election results| publisher = Vermont Secretary of State | access-date= November 16, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|200,020
|66.6%
|-
|Republican
|Deborah "Deb" Bucknam
|88,431
|29.4%
|-
|Liberty Union
|Rosemarie Jackowski
|11,844
|3.9%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Attorney General General Election Results, 2018<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sec.state.vt.us/media/914451/2018generalofficialresults.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2018-12-13 |archive-date=2018-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222120/https://www.sec.state.vt.us/media/914451/2018generalofficialresults.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|187,093
|67.2%
|-
|Republican
|Janssen Willhoit
|70,226
|25.2%
|-
|Liberty Union
|Rosemarie Jackowski
|9,536
|3.4%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" | Attorney General General Election Results, 2020<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sos.vermont.gov/elections/election-info-resources/elections-results-data/ |title=Election Results|date= |website=sos.vermont.gov}}</ref>
|-
|'''Party'''
|'''Candidate'''
|'''Votes'''
|'''%'''
|-
|Democratic
|'''TJ Donovan'''
|234,081
|63.1%
|-
|Republican
|[[H. Brooke Paige]]
|94,892
|25.6%
|-
|Progressive
|Cris Ericson
|15,846
|4.3%
|}
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://ago.vermont.gov/ Government website]
*[http://www.donovanforvermont.com Campaign website]
*{{C-SPAN|113688}}
{{CongLinks|votesmart=141327}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William Sorrell]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Vermont Attorney General]]|years=2016, 2018, 2020}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charity Clark]]}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William Sorrell|Bill Sorrell]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Vermont Attorney General|Attorney General of Vermont]]|years=2017–2022}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Josh Diamond (lawyer)|Josh Diamond]]<br>Acting}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, T. J.}}
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Merrimack College alumni]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Politicians from Burlington, Vermont]]
[[Category:Suffolk University Law School alumni]]
[[Category:State's attorneys in Vermont]]
[[Category:Vermont attorneys general]]
[[Category:Vermont Democrats]]
[[Category:Vermont lawyers]]
[[Category:Burlington High School (Vermont) alumni]]