Primary to narrow down Oregon Attorney General candidate to succeed Rosenblum

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – For the first time in more than a decade, the race to become Oregon’s next Attorney General is open to both Democrat and Republican candidates after the current AG Ellen Rosenblum announced she would not be running for reelection.

After serving her position for 11 years, Rosenblum issued a statement in September 2023 that said, in part, “I love being your AG, and I’ve given this important position my all since June 29, 2012, when I was first sworn in.”

Since then, four candidates have stepped forward for the role. The primary election on Tuesday, May 21 will determine the candidate that will represent their party in the upcoming November election.

Candidate Profiles

Democrats

Shaina Maxey Pomerantz

A third-generation Oregonian with a background in civil rights advocacy, Pomerantz served as a Civil Rights Division investigator with the Oregon’s Bureau of Labor & Industries before filing a lawsuit that accused the agency of racial bias and hostility in 2021. She eventually received a $425,000 settlement after she claimed to receive a higher workload than her white coworkers while her department dismissed racial discrimination complaints.

Four years later, Pomerantz’s campaign website shares her plan to combat systemic racism and discrimination by implementing reforms and supporting victims of crime and injustice. 

Dan Rayfield

A Democrat from Corvallis and lawyer by trade, Rayfield graduated from Western Oregon University and holds a law degree from Willamette University. He stepped down as Speaker of the Oregon House to enter the AG race.

In an interview with KOIN 6 News, Rayfield shared the role he hopes to play in the mitigation of the ongoing fentanyl crisis, how his experience as a trial lawyer prepares him for the role, and his plan to curb the statewide increase in gun violence.

Republicans

Michael Cross

As the Republican nominee for Oregon Attorney General in 2020, Cross received more than 934,000 votes — 41% of the total to Ellen Rosenblum’s 56%. Now, four years later, the United States Air Force veteran, software engineer and community volunteer has returned.

During an appearance on KOIN 6’s Eye on Northwest Politics, Cross voiced why he wants to serve as AG, despite not being a lawyer. His campaign website alleges “abuses of power” by public officials, and he believed the number of votes he received in 2020 could indicate party divisions in Oregon – or an urban-rural divide. He also shared his plans to eradicate homelessness to “zero,” among other priorities.

Will Lathrop

A Newberg resident, native of Wallowa County, and Willamette University law school graduate, Lathrop was a deputy district attorney in Marion and Yamhill counties for ten years before he stepped away in 2014. Then, he worked for the International Justice Mission, a non-profit human rights organization for about eight years.

While interviewing with KOIN 6, Lathrop discussed the role of AG in the ongoing fentanyl crisis. He also disclosed whether he would keep the office’s civil rights unit intact and whether he would continue on Rosenblum’s path of environmental or anti-trust lawsuits against big companies like Monsanto, Apple, and Google.

KOIN 6 News is Your Local Election Headquarters. Stay with us as we bring you up-to-date campaign coverage through November's General Election.