Montco Rep. Todd Stephens to run for A.G

State Rep. Todd Stephens on Thursday joined an increasingly crowded field of candidates for attorney general in 2016.

In the Republican primary, Stephens is to face off against a fellow Montgomery County legislator, State Sen. John Rafferty, who announced his candidacy in June.

Stephens, of Horsham, is in his third term representing eastern Montgomery County.

In an interview Thursday, Stephens said his decision to run was spurred by the allegations of leaking and lying that have plagued Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane in recent years.

"Watching the downward spiral of the current A.G. has been very disappointing," he said. "That office should be held in highest regard in Pennsylvania, and it's not."

Kane, a Democrat, has said she will seek a second term despite facing criminal charges of perjury and other offenses related to a leak of grand jury information. Kane has denied her actions were criminal.

Kane will face a primary challenge as well. Jack Stollsteimer, a former Delaware County prosecutor who works in the private sector, launched his campaign this month.

Also rumored to be considering a run for the Democratic nomination is Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County commissioners and a former state legislator.

Shapiro has been burnishing his law enforcement credentials over the last year, chairing Gov. Wolf's Commission on Crime and Delinquency. He declined to comment Thursday.

Stephens said his work as a prosecutor - 10 years with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office and three years with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia - made him well-suited to restore the credibility of Pennsylvania's top law enforcement office.

"I don't think there's any substitute for that experience," Stephens said.

*An earlier version of this story misidentified state Sen. John Rafferty as a representative.

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