State Rep. Rayfield leads in Oregon attorney general race

Democrat Dan Rayfield (left) is competing against Republican Will Lathrop to be Oregon’s next attorney general. (Campaign photos)

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Early results indicate that former Oregon House speaker Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, will be Oregon’s next attorney general.

At 8 p.m., Rayfield had 57% of the vote, compared with 43% for Republican Will Lathrop, a former deputy prosecutor in Oregon and international human rights attorney, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office. 

A Rayfield win would keep the attorney general’s office in Democratic hands with  Ellen Rosenblum, also a Democrat, stepping down when her term ends. She first took office in 2012. 

This was the first open attorney general election in 16 years. The last Republican to hold the office was Charles Crookham, who served in 1992, appointed to replace Dave Frohnmayer, who first took office in 1981.

The attorney general, the lead lawyer in the state, oversees the Oregon Department of Justice and represents state officials, agencies, boards and commissions in legal proceedings. The position also involves working with other state attorneys general and enforcing antitrust laws, organized crime and public corruption investigations and oversight of the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program. 

As attorney general, Rosenblum has joined several big cases, including lawsuits against prescription drug companies for misleading marketing that led to widespread opioid abuse. On Tuesday, her office announced a $1.4 billion settlement with Kroger, which owns Fred Meyer, over its pharmacies’ involvement in the opioid crisis. Oregon will get $40 million in the lawsuit brought by 30 states. 

The attorney general also writes measure ballot titles and defends them before Oregon’s Supreme Court.