The Attorney General of Mississippi is the chief legal officer of the state and serves as the state's lawyer. Only the Attorney General can bring or defend a lawsuit on behalf of the state. The Attorney General is elected statewide for a four-year term with no term limits. The qualification for office is that one must be qualified elector, at least 26 years of ages, a practicing attorney for 5 years, and a citizen of the state for 5 years before the date of election. All Attorneys General from 1878 to 2020 were Democrats.