Oregon鈥檚 race for attorney general is one of the rare chances for Republicans to win statewide office, at a time when Democrats continue to hold all levers of power in Salem.
Democrats hold majorities in both legislative chambers, the governors office and the majority of the congressional delegation. Republicans last won state office in 2016 when Dennis Richardson was elected secretary of state.
The race pits Republican Will Lathrop, an experienced prosecutor pushing a public safety message, against former Speaker of the House Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, who represents the political establishment that, for years, has been responsible for shaping policies and laws.
Despite that, both candidates have a lot in common. Both are white men in their mid-40s, and both attended law school at Willamette University around the same time.
Of course, there are differences too.
Lathrop, a former prosecutor in Marion and Yamhill counties, recently returned to the United States after working for a Christian human rights nonprofit in Uganda and Ghana. He鈥檚 running on his experience in law enforcement prosecuting crimes, such as homicides and human trafficking, and has stressed he鈥檚 not a politician.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 actually have a law enforcement background, or that buy-in or credibility with the law enforcement community, you can鈥檛 actually get the laws executed,鈥� Lathrop said in an interview with OPB. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where we鈥檝e really struggled in Oregon.鈥�
Rayfield, a personal injury lawyer, spent nearly a decade representing the Corvallis area in the Oregon Legislature, ascending to speaker of the House in 2022, until stepping down this year to run for attorney general. He says if elected he鈥檇 build on his work in politics and law to defend the state鈥檚 abortion laws, protect the environment and go after scams.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 housing and homelessness or it鈥檚 a substance abuse crisis, or you see seniors and consumers that are being taken advantage of in their community, the attorney general鈥檚 office in Oregon 鈥� with the right leadership 鈥� can have an important impact on those issues,鈥� Rayfield told OPB in an interview. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I wanted to run for this position.鈥�
Regardless of who Oregonians elect as the state鈥檚 next top law enforcement official in November, it鈥檒l be a significant change. Since 2012, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, has won the statewide race three times, but isn鈥檛 seeking reelection this year.
Oregon鈥檚 defender
The attorney general essentially runs Oregon鈥檚 largest law firm, the Oregon Department of Justice. The agency boasts a nearly $900 million biannual budget and nearly 1,500 employees.
The department defends state laws and agencies in court. The attorney general is also responsible for protecting residents through lawsuits against the federal government and companies that cheat, lie or harm Oregonians.
Under Rosenblum鈥檚 tenure, Oregon鈥檚 Department of Justice has fiercely defended the state, whether it鈥檚 , how the state or its efforts to regulating firearms.
Ballot Measure 114 bans the manufacture and sale of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and requires anyone who wishes to obtain a firearm to get a permit first. Permits will require taking a safety course and completing a federal background check.
OPB interviewed both candidates and asked them to complete a series of written questions. In them, both Lathrop and Rayfield agreed they would continue the agency鈥檚 vigorous push to implement the law, which has been blocked in the courts after .
鈥淚t is the role of the Attorney General to uphold the law,鈥� Lathrop wrote. 鈥淏allot Measure 114 was passed into law in 2022, and will remain the law pending the ruling of the higher court.鈥�
鈥淚 would continue to move the process forward,鈥� Rayfield responded. 鈥淥regon voters passed Measure 114 to protect our communities and kids from acts of gun violence that are all too common in this country, while respecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.鈥�
Both Rayfield and Lathrop indicated they鈥檙e familiar with the DOJ鈥檚 reputation for aggressively defending state laws, and both signaled they might take a more moderate approach, especially in instances where state employees, agencies or laws have caused harm.
The candidates and their politics
Lathrop, who grew up on a cattle ranch in Wallowa County, spent time prosecuting sex abuse cases before joining International Justice Mission. The Christian-backed human rights organization said it works to protect people living in poverty from human trafficking and violence.
鈥淚鈥檝e got statewide, national and international law enforcement experience,鈥� Lathrop said. 鈥淓ach year I would come back to Oregon when I was living overseas and just watching the decay of law and order and particularly victim protection.鈥�
During the pandemic, violent crime increased in , but .
While Lathrop boasts his leadership at International Justice Mission as an asset, a 2023 when Lathrop served as country director for the nonprofit. According :
鈥淚JM has removed some children from their families in cases where there was scarce-to-no evidence of trafficking and this aggressive approach may have been fuelled by a target-driven culture inside IJM. We found two documented cases of rescue operations in which children were forcibly, traumatically and unjustly removed and the children鈥檚 relatives prosecuted as child traffickers.鈥�In an interview with OPB, Lathrop dismissed the BBC鈥檚 findings. He said IJC worked behind the scenes and said it was
Ghanaian social workers and police who took children to court where judges made determinations about removing children from their homes.
鈥淭hey accused IJM of kidnapping,鈥� Lathrop told OPB. 鈥淚JM doesn鈥檛 have the power and never has taken a kid and never has removed a child from home. It鈥檚 always the police or social workers, and it鈥檚 all documented.鈥�
He said to call any of that kidnapping, as the documentary suggests, is 鈥渙utlandish and not supported by any of the court documentation.鈥�
The film concludes noting that Lathrop left the Christian nonprofit and mentions his campaign for Oregon attorney general.
Lathrop has raised just over $1 million in campaign contributions and has more than $530,000 cash on hand, according to campaign finance disclosures filed with the state.
Rayfield has brought in $1.2 million in campaign contributions and has more than $940,000 cash on hand, according to the state campaign finance disclosures. A sizable chunk who could get contracts from the state in future litigation. Some states call these campaign contributions 鈥減ay-to-play鈥� and prohibit them, but not Oregon.
Rayfield is running on his experience in public office and politics. When he first ran for the Legislature in 2014, he had while as a young adult, including a DUII he got when he was 18 years old that was later dismissed.
In a campaign ad for attorney general, Rayfield acknowledged he 鈥渆ven ended up on the wrong side of the law a few times鈥� and had a challenging childhood and 鈥渟aw up close how physical abuse and addiction impact families.鈥� In an interview with OPB, he recalled attending recovery meetings as a kid with his mom.
Rayfield embodies many of the things that Lathrop argues he鈥檚 running against. But that political experience also allows Rayfield to point to what he said are bipartisan policy victories he helped craft, such as the legislation that rolled back Oregon鈥檚 drug decriminalization law and made possession a crime once more.
鈥淓verybody wanted to solve the root cause of what we were seeing, which was a substance abuse crisis,鈥� he said.
OPB asked both candidates whether they support their party鈥檚 presidential candidates.
Rayfield wrote that he 鈥渆nthusiastically supports Kamala Harris for President.鈥�
Lathrop wouldn鈥檛 say where he comes down on former President Donald Trump and pivoted to critique Oregon鈥檚 political establishment that鈥檚 been dominated for decades by Democrats.
鈥淪o you have to admit if you鈥檙e a Democrat, you cannot keep electing the exact same people in different seats and expect that the results are going to be any different,鈥� Lathrop said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just like this musical chairs of the same people who voted for, and did all of the things you鈥檙e frustrated by.鈥�
His goal is to 鈥渞edefine what an Oregon Republican really is鈥� and rejects 鈥渁ny kind of radical politics from the right or left.鈥�
鈥淥regon needs that,鈥� Lathrop said. 鈥淥regon is hungry for that.鈥�
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