Dave Sunday

Dave Sunday
Birthplace	Pennsylvania, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Attorney, politician
Title	Attorney General of Pennsylvania
Known for	49th Attorney General of Pennsylvania
Website	Official site

Dave Sunday is an American attorney and politician serving as the 49th Attorney General of Pennsylvania. A member of the Republican Party, Sunday assumed the role of the state's chief law enforcement officer after winning the 2024 general election. Prior to his election as Attorney General, Sunday served as the District Attorney of York County, Pennsylvania. Since taking office, Sunday has focused on a range of public safety and consumer protection issues, including combating illegal firearms trafficking, addressing the impact of artificial intelligence and social media on youth mental health, protecting consumers from online scams, and joining multistate legal actions against corporate practices deemed harmful to Pennsylvania residents. His tenure has been marked by a willingness to engage directly with communities, including launching initiatives that bring him into conversation with students across the commonwealth about the risks posed by emerging technologies and digital platforms.

Career

District Attorney of York County

Before his election as Attorney General, Dave Sunday served as the District Attorney of York County, Pennsylvania, where he built a record as a prosecutor focused on public safety and law enforcement. His work in York County provided him with experience in criminal prosecution and community engagement that would inform his later statewide role.

Election as Attorney General

Sunday ran for Attorney General of Pennsylvania in the 2024 election cycle as the Republican Party's nominee. He won the general election and became the 49th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. His campaign emphasized themes of public safety, combating crime, and protecting Pennsylvania's residents from emerging threats including those related to technology and digital platforms.

Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

As Attorney General, Sunday has placed significant emphasis on public safety initiatives and supporting law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania. In February 2026, Sunday announced what he described as a record seizure of 41 illegal guns in southwestern Pennsylvania, praising the collaborative efforts of local and federal law enforcement agencies in the operation. The seizure was presented as a significant achievement in the ongoing effort to combat illegal firearms trafficking in the region.

Sunday has also engaged in direct partnerships with federal elected officials to secure resources for local law enforcement. In February 2026, Sunday joined U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan Jr. (PA-08) at a public safety roundtable in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the two announced $500,000 in funding for the Scranton Police Department. The roundtable brought together law enforcement officials and community leaders to discuss strategies for improving public safety in northeastern Pennsylvania.

In his remarks at the Lycoming County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner in February 2026, Sunday spoke broadly about the threats facing Pennsylvania residents, with particular attention to online risks. Speaking to the Sun-Gazette before the dinner, Sunday discussed the intersection of law enforcement and digital safety, reflecting the breadth of his agenda as Attorney General beyond traditional crime-fighting measures.

Youth Mental Health and Technology Initiatives

A defining area of Sunday's tenure as Attorney General has been his focus on the impact of artificial intelligence and social media on youth mental health. In February 2026, Sunday launched the "TeenTalk" series, beginning with an event at the Centennial School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The inaugural session brought together students from 13 Bucks County schools to discuss their experiences with AI and social media. According to reporting by the Bucks County Beacon, the students provided what Sunday described as "powerful insight" into how these technologies affect their daily lives and mental well-being.

The TeenTalk initiative was designed to create a direct channel of communication between the Attorney General's office and young people across the commonwealth. Rather than relying solely on expert testimony or academic research, the program sought input from students themselves about the challenges they face in navigating digital environments. The Centennial School District event was reported on by multiple media outlets, including 6abc Philadelphia, which described Sunday's engagement with local students about social media's impact on mental health.

Sunday's focus on AI-related risks extends beyond youth engagement programs. In December 2025, shortly after taking office, Sunday led a coalition of 42 state attorneys general in sending a letter to artificial intelligence software companies demanding that they implement safeguards to protect vulnerable residents from harmful interactions with AI chatbots. The coalition's letter cited specific instances in which chatbot interactions had led to mental health struggles, incidents of self-harm, and violence. The multistate action represented one of the largest coordinated efforts by state law enforcement officials to address the potential dangers of AI technology to date.

The coalition letter specifically highlighted the risks posed to children and other vulnerable populations who may engage with AI chatbots without adequate understanding of the technology or sufficient protections against harmful content. Sunday framed the effort as part of a broader responsibility of attorneys general to adapt their consumer protection and public safety mandates to address threats arising from rapidly evolving technologies.

Consumer Protection

Sunday has also directed the resources of the Attorney General's office toward consumer protection, particularly in the areas of online scams and deceptive corporate practices. In January 2026, Sunday issued a public warning to Pennsylvania residents about scammers who were targeting utility customers through fake websites, fraudulent advertisements, and spoofed telephone numbers. The alert urged residents to exercise caution when contacting their utility providers and to verify the authenticity of any communications purporting to come from utility companies.

The utility scam warning reflected a broader pattern in Sunday's approach to consumer protection, which has emphasized proactive public education alongside enforcement actions. The Attorney General's office under Sunday has sought to make residents aware of emerging scam tactics, particularly those that exploit digital platforms and online advertising to deceive consumers.

In December 2025, Sunday announced that his office, along with 20 other state attorneys general, had joined a federal lawsuit against Uber on behalf of Pennsylvanians who the suit alleged were deceived by the company's use of negative option subscriptions. Negative option marketing refers to business practices in which a consumer's silence or failure to take affirmative action is treated as acceptance of an offer, often resulting in recurring charges that are difficult to cancel. The multistate legal action alleged that Uber's subscription practices had harmed consumers across multiple states.

The Uber lawsuit represented Sunday's willingness to participate in multistate coalitions to hold large corporations accountable for practices that the attorneys general involved deemed harmful to consumers. The case was filed in conjunction with a broader action led by federal authorities, with the participating states adding their weight to the enforcement effort.

Multistate Coalitions and Federal Engagement

A notable feature of Sunday's early tenure as Attorney General has been his participation in multistate coalitions on issues ranging from AI regulation to corporate accountability. The coalition of 42 attorneys general that he led in December 2025 to demand AI safeguards was one of the largest such groupings on a technology-related issue, reflecting bipartisan concern about the potential dangers of AI chatbots. Similarly, his office's participation in the Uber lawsuit alongside 20 other attorneys general demonstrated a pattern of interstate cooperation on consumer protection matters.

Sunday has also cultivated relationships with federal officials. His joint appearance with Representative Rob Bresnahan in Scranton in February 2026 showcased a collaborative approach to securing federal funding for local law enforcement agencies. The $500,000 announced for the Scranton Police Department was presented as a product of coordinated federal-state advocacy.

Political Affiliation

Sunday is a member of the Republican Party. He has appeared at Republican Party events, including the Lycoming County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner in February 2026, where he delivered remarks on public safety and online risks. His policy agenda as Attorney General has encompassed both traditional Republican priorities such as law enforcement support and anti-crime measures, as well as issues such as AI regulation and youth mental health that cross partisan lines.

Recognition

Since taking office, Sunday has received attention from both state and national media for his initiatives. His record gun seizure in southwestern Pennsylvania was covered by CBS News. His TeenTalk youth engagement series was reported on by the Bucks County Beacon and 6abc Philadelphia. His coalition efforts on AI safety and the Uber lawsuit garnered coverage through press releases from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General that were picked up by news outlets.

Sunday's leadership of the 42-attorney-general coalition on AI chatbot safety was particularly notable, positioning him among the most prominent state-level officials addressing the intersection of technology and public safety. The coalition's letter cited specific cases of harm resulting from AI interactions, giving the effort a concrete factual basis that attracted media and policy attention.