Eric Settle

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Eric Settle

Forward Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Harriton High School

Bachelor's

Colgate University, 1983

Law

George Washington University, 1986

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

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Personal Twitter

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Eric Settle (Forward Party) ran for election for Attorney General of Pennsylvania. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Settle completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Eric Settle was born in New York, New York. He earned a high school diploma from Harriton High School, a bachelor's degree from Colgate University in 1983, and a law degree from George Washington University in 1986. Settle's career experience includes working as an attorney and lobbyist. As of 2024, Settle was affiliated with Main Line Reform Temple, Colgate University, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Elections

2024

See also: Pennsylvania Attorney General election, 2024

General election

General election for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

The following candidates ran in the general election for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dave Sunday (R)	50.8	3,496,679
		Eugene DePasquale (D)	46.2	3,179,376
		Rob Cowburn (L)	1.3	88,835
		Richard Weiss (G)	1.0	68,046
		Justin Magill (Constitution Party)	0.5	31,282
		Eric Settle (Forward Party)	0.3	18,151

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,882,369
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Eugene DePasquale defeated Jack Stollsteimer, Joe Khan, Keir Bradford-Grey, and Jared Solomon in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eugene DePasquale	35.2	371,911
		Jack Stollsteimer	20.1	212,413
		Joe Khan	15.9	167,895
		Keir Bradford-Grey	15.2	160,369
		Jared Solomon	13.1	137,920
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	4,577

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,055,085
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Dave Sunday defeated Craig Williams in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Pennsylvania on April 23, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dave Sunday	69.9	620,515
		Craig Williams	29.5	261,419
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	5,282

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 887,216
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Katayoun Copeland (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Settle in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Eric Settle completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Settle's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a lawyer, a husband and a dad who looks for opportunities to help make a difference in his community. I have been very lucky that in several chapters of my life, I have done just that including my work for Governor Tom Ridge as Deputy General Counsel, as President of Main Line Reform Temple and most recently as part of Govenor Josh Shapiro's transition team. But I am most proud of my successful effort for the successful passage of Act 62, a law that requires insurance companies to pay for services for kids with autism. Using all the unique skills that I had developed in the Governor's office and as a general counsel in the health insurance industry, I was able to work with autism advocates, impacted families and legislative leaders of both parties (including now Governor Shapiro and Senate Majority Leader Pittman) to create a law that improved the lives of tens of thousands of Pennsylvania children and their families. And 16 years later, it is satisfying to know that Act 62 is still there to help a family who today learns that they are impacted by this difficult condition. It reminds all of us that government can make a real difference in the lives of its citizens and as Attorney General, I will continue my record of service and use all my talents developed in the public and private sector to make a difference in the lives of all Pennsylvanians.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Keeping Pennsylvanians Safe. My most important goal to ensure that the Office of Attorney General uses all of it resources to make sure that Pennsylvanians are safe. The Attorney General has direct responsibility for investigating and prosecuting drug trafficking, child predators, organized crime and public corruption. It is also important that as AG, I work to reduce the number of illegal guns on the streets which are often the direct cause of the violence that citizens are experiencing.
• Protecting Democracy. In the wake of January 6, we can no longer take for granted that the results of elections will be honored. As an independent Attorney General who is not beholden to either major party, I will make sure that election challenges are handled fairly and that the proper winner of any election will be recognized as the elected official. The next Attorney General may oversee a contest over the Presidential election of 2024, which may turn on Pennsylvania’s results.
• Protecting Healthcare Access. As Attorney General, I will have direct jurisdiction over charitable assets including non-profit hospitals. I am very concerned about the acquisition of Pennsylvania’s non-profit hospitals by For-profit entities. Pennsylvania has a bad track record in this area and as someone with years of experience in the healthcare industry, I will make sure that if such acquisitions are necessary to preserve health care resources, these For-profit entities will be subject to careful supervision.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Access to healthcare has been the public policy focus of my career. Having been involved in healthcare for two Governors, being a senior lawyer for three of the largest healthcare companies for both private insurance and Medicaid programs in multiple states, having served as a lobbyist for autism and a hospital trustee, I have worn a unique number of hats. And as a patient and the child of elderly patients, I have experienced healthcare from the front lines. I want to find a way to help ensure affordable access to healthcare for all Pennsylvanians. As Attorney General, I am specifically focused on protecting non-profit hospitals.

The National Association of Attorneys General has described the office as being at the "intersection of law and public policy." What does that mean to you?

It means that an Attorney General must enforce the law but also be sensitive to policy issues as well. For example, the criminal justice system is challenged by the need to both reduce crime in Pennsylvania and to address the historical unfairness in the justice system, particularly as it relates to people of color. We see this duality play out in cities like Philadelphia where progressive prosecutors are seen by many as being soft on crime as they prioritize redressing historical grievances. In the end, a prosecutor must put the effective administration of justice as a higher priority to support the efforts of law enforcement and to seek a safer environment in the community. At the same time, we must find the resources necessary to create impactful diversion and rehabilitation programs to reduce the number of offenders who truly require incarceration in the already overburdened correctional system.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. For example, a state's attorney general may decide to dedicate extra resources to combat human trafficking. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

Gun violence is an epidemic in our community. We must find ways, consistent with constitutional rights, to reduce the number of illegal weapons on our streets. As Attorney General, I will focus on steps that we can take to reduce the number of assault weapons in our community as it seems clear that that is the weapons of war have no place in our communities. Though I am sensitive to the tradition of hunting and sportsman in Pennsylvania, for now we need to find a way to set them aside.

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

I agree that Attorneys General should represent their state in legal conflicts with the federal government but as an independent that action should only be taken when those federal laws, regulations or actions are not in the best interest of the people of Pennsylvania and not because the initiative is advanced by the opposing party. If there are election challenges in 2024 and beyond, as Attorney General, I will work to make sure that the results of a fair election will be honored.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do believe that having experience in government is helpful. In my case, I actually have experience working with the Office of Attorney General in coordination with the Governor's Office of General Counsel.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admired my father, Elliott Settle who always put his family first. We moved from New York to Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County when I was 12 for my dad to take a promotion in his company. But despite many other requests, he refused to move his family again which allowed my brother and I to grow up in one place. Ultimately, his successful career came to end because he put his family first. But he created an environment that led my brother to a career in medicine and for me to be able to have a successful legal career, serve in government and now to run to be Pennsylvania’s first independent Attorney General. I have tried to emulate him by postponing my desire to run for public office for 25 years, allowing my family to grow up in Pennsylvania and for my sons to be a lawyer and a PhD Scientist in Cancer Biology. If my Dad were still alive, I think he would appreciate the lesson he taught me.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe that a commitment to service and personal ethic that puts the public interest first is the most important. I am the only candidate for Attorney General that can be truly independent. I am not beholden to either major party. I can review any issue and determine what is best for the Commonwealth. And this January in the event of an election challenge that is likely, I am unconflicted and will only seek to protect democracy regardless of the winner. I am also the only candidate that has served as an attorney at the highest levels of state government and the private sector. Finally, I bring a broad set leadership skills from my decades’ long experience in business, charity and government to effectively lead the Office of Attorney General.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The Attorney General should serve as a leading voice in advocating for public safety and consumer protection. As Attorney General, I will work with legislative leadership to assist them in drafting the appropriate legislation to achieve these goals. In accordance with Commonwealth Attorney’s Act, as Attorney General, I will effectively coordinate with the Governor’s Office of General Counsel, where I once served, to help ensure that the state agencies under our joint jurisdiction have adequate legal resources to achieve their statutory obligations. As Attorney General, I will also be a leader that works with the District Attorneys of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties to help them to be effective in their roles and provide additional support where justice demands it. Finally, as Attorney General, I will forge a cooperative relationship with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and its lower courts with the goal of ensuring that that justice is fairly administered throughout the Commonwealth.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Funeral for the Apollo One Astronauts who died as a result of an accident on the launch pad in January 1967. It was a big deal as the Apollo astronauts were the real heroes of a very divided time in our country. ( I think they still are, I hope). I was 5. Of course, 2 years later, I remember my dad waking me up to watch Neil Armstrong (on our black and white TV) walk on the moon.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first real job was as a summer messenger for a large Philadelphia law firm. The messenger department consisted of a number of retired postmen supplemented by a small number of college students who were interested in law (like me). My special assignment was to work with the City Hall messenger (a gentleman in his 80's) to learn how to do the court filings or obtain other official documents. Two important lessons I learned that I brought with me as I started my legal career. First, that it does not cost extra to be nice to people. Second, it is important to be respectful of (or nice to (see #1) service persons like messengers who have complete control on the success of your professional effort. I learned I could make the effort to get that document filed on time or legitimately explain that the office had just closed..... if we only had more time...sorry!

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Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Eric Settle campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Attorney General of Pennsylvania	Lost general	$24,121	$25,797
Grand total			$24,121	$25,797
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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