We can understand why and how the presidential race every four years can overshadow other political campaigns.

The presidency effects lives from the coasts of Maine and Florida to the islands of Hawaii and the mountains of Alaska. As such, journalists and the public in every corner of our country have opinions, hopes and fears about this campaign. Moreover, the office serves as the de-facto leader of one of the two parties in what effectively is a two-party system, setting the tone and the perimeters for what both parties will argue over and prioritize at all levels of government.

But, as we have stenuously noted in the past, in our federalist system municipal, county and state offices should carry more weight. These are the levels of government closest to their constituents, and with the better knowledge and understanding of how public policy, for better and worse, affects communities.

One such office on the ballot this year is state attorney general.

The attorney general’s office has a long-ranging list of responsibilities — as the headline in our Tuesday edition described it, he or she is Pennsylvania’s “top prosecutor.” And of course investigating crimes and prosecuting and punishing criminals are among the most important roles of our government.

Beyond the apprehension of criminals, the office, by virtue of its abilities to file and pursue lawsuits, can have an impact on a wide variety of other policies voters care about — from immigration to health care, from labor relations to education and more.

We hope Spotlight PA’s in-depth coverage of the candidates for this office provided readers with the information about the candidates necessary to make informed decisions. We also continue to hope that despite the volume and frequency of the debate over who should be president, that voters can respect that local and state offices need to matter more.