NEW CASTLE Mangino seeks Dem bid for attorney general seat

Pennsylvania voters have never elected a Democrat for attorney general.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County District Attorney Matthew Mangino is seeking the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania attorney general.
Mangino, 41, is serving his second term as the county's lead prosecutor.
"I feel as though I'm uniquely qualified," he said. "I spent 41/2 years as a county solicitor handling the civil side of government law and the last six years handling the criminal end of it."
Mangino noted that the attorney general handles both civil and criminal law for the state.
Mangino's current term in office won't be up for re-election until 2006.
He said if elected attorney general, he wants to focus more on white-collar crime and public corruption.
"I think we need to refocus our resources to concentrate on the big picture of things like securities fraud and corporate fraud," he said.
Democratic nomination
The office of attorney general has only been an elected position in Pennsylvania since 1981, and no Democrat has ever been elected to the post.
Mangino said he has been in contact with the state Democratic Party and Gov. Ed Rendell about his decision to run.
"Everything I've heard from people has been encouraging," he said.
Mangino believes he is the first candidate to formally announce he is running for the nomination. The current attorney general, Mike Fisher, is precluded from seeking another term because of term limits.
In 2000, Mangino ran for U.S. Congress and lost the Democratic nomination to Terry Van Horn. Van Horn was eventually defeated by Melissa Hart, the Republican who now represents the 4th Congressional District.
Mangino lives in Shenango Township with his wife, Juliann, and their 21/2-year-old twins, a girl and a boy.
cioffi@vindy.com