FILE - In this June 6, 2017, file photo, Michigan state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton, listens at a committee meeting at the Capitol in Lansing, Mich. The race to become Michigan's next attorney general will be set this weekend, when Republican activists choose between Schuitmaker and House Speaker Tom Leonard, who are vying for the nomination to face Democrat Dana Nessel in November. (AP Photo/David Eggert, File)

House Speaker Tom Leonard and Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker are battling to succeed term-limited Bill Schuette, the GOP nominee for governor. Both lawyers point to their career backgrounds to argue they are best prepared for the job, while citing different reasons why they are best positioned to win in November.

The nominee selected Saturday at a convention in Lansing will try to extend a 16-year run in which a Republican has served as the state’s top lawyer and law enforcement official. The 500-person department handles an array of work ranging from criminal prosecutions and consumer protection to health care fraud and defending the state against lawsuits.

Schuette’s tenure has included two of highest-profile investigations in the office’s history, which led to charges against former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics sports doctor Larry Nassar and government officials involved in the Flint water crisis.

The 37-year-old Leonard, who lives in DeWitt Township outside Lansing, began leading the House in 2017 and is in his sixth and final year there under term limits. He previously worked as an assistant attorney general defending the Corrections Department in lawsuits and as an assistant prosecutor in Genesee County.

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2017, file photo, Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt, speaks at the Capitol in Lansing, Mich. The race to become Michigan's next attorney general will be set this weekend, when Republican activists choose between Leonard and state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, who are vying for the nomination to face Democrat Dana Nessel in November. (AP Photo/David Eggert, File)

He is emphasizing his prosecutorial and management experience and his conservative credentials. He cited his anti-abortion stance, his opposition to Common Core education standards and his legislative fights — albeit unsuccessful ones — to lower the state income tax and auto insurance premiums.

Probably most importantly, he said, is that “we have the only team in place that’s able to take it to Dana Nessel and the Democrats in the fall.” As of Aug. 9, his campaign had raised nearly $1.2 million and had $910,000 on hand. Schuitmaker had raised about $600,000 (including $200,000 she loaned her campaign) and had $328,000 on hand.

“She does not have the finances or the resources in place to put together a statewide election,” Leonard said. “When you look at what’s resonating with the delegates right now, they are focused on who can win in November.

“There’s no doubt that we’ve made that case.”

The 50-year-old Schuitmaker, who lives in Lawton west of Kalamazoo, is in her 14th and last year in the Legislature. She also boasted of her own conservative credentials, including her opposition to abortion and sanctuary cities, and said she is a “proven vote-getter.”

She pointed to her past victories in counties where Barack Obama won and, on her website, says she can neutralize Democrats’ attempt to play the “gender card” with Nessel — a former prosecutor-turned-civil rights and defense attorney who won a hotly contested fight at an April endorsement convention. Democrats will officially nominate her at their own convention on Sunday.