After law school, Harshbarger worked as a
public defender and civil rights attorney.
Middlesex District Attorney He was first elected as district attorney of
Middlesex County, Massachusetts in 1982, defeating
incumbent DA John Droney in the
Democratic primary. He was re-elected in 1986. Harshbarger was elected president of the Massachusetts Association of District Attorneys and was awarded the Livingston Hall Award by the American Bar Association for Harshbarger's outstanding work in Juvenile Justice.
Attorney general In 1990, he was elected
attorney general of Massachusetts, defeating incumbent
James Shannon in the Democratic primary. He was re-elected in 1994 with 70 percent of the vote. Harshbarger was one of the first attorneys general in the nation to sue the tobacco industry for manufacturing a product, cigarettes, which causes disease and death when used as designed by the industry. Harshbarger was elected president of the National Attorneys General Association.
Gubernatorial bid He was the Democratic nominee for
Governor of Massachusetts in the
1998 gubernatorial election. He lost in a close race to incumbent
Republican Governor Cellucci. Afterwards, Harshbarger served as president of the public interest organization
Common Cause for three years, where he supported efforts to pass the
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
Changing party In June, 2016 Harshbarger announced that he would be leaving the Democratic Party to join the
United Independent Party to assist them in reaching the voter enrollment necessary to remain a recognized party in Massachusetts. After a year, he returned to the Democratic Party.
Return to private legal practice Since 2003, Harshbarger has practiced law in the private sector, focusing on
corporate governance and related issues. He is currently senior counsel in the Boston law firm of Casner & Edwards, LLP. Prior to joining Casner & Edwards, Harshbarger was senior counsel at
Proskauer Rose LLP in
Boston, MA. Harshbarger has continued to serve the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a private practice attorney by accepting appointments by both Republican and Democratic governors of Massachusetts. He has chaired the Probation Reform Commission and Correctional Reform Commission. He also serves as member of the MA Supreme Judicial Court management advisory board, and is regular commentator on regional and national television. == Personal life ==