As the race for Oregon's Attorney General heats up before the May 21 primary, former House Speaker Dan Rayfield is pitching his bid for the office, promising to use the position to tackle the state's substantive issues that range from drug trafficking to housing affordability. Rayfield, a Democrat, is setting his sights on capitalizing on current opportunities to support struggling Oregonians, and he's drawing on personal experience with addiction and substance abuse as part of his platform, Rayfield opened up about his past challenges which include his mother's substance abuse and his own run-ins with the law as a teenager as mentioned in an OPB report.
Facing Rayfield is civil rights advocate Pomerantz, a latecomer to the election who's focusing her lens on equality and justice, citing concerns regarding affirmative action and diversity policies - a reflection of her life's work in the nonprofit sector with Race Talks she mentioned in a dialogue with OPB, she's also suffered through racial discrimination, having settled a lawsuit on the matter for $425,000, the incident has fueled her proposal to expand the DOJ's civil rights office. Meanwhile, Will Lathrop stands as the lone Republican racking up funds, with more than $700,000 raised for his campaign as he returns from international justice endeavors to a home state he feels is in decline. Lathrop aims to redirect the DOJ's focus toward organized crime and drug trafficking, particularly in light of Oregon's bourgeoning fentanyl crisis.
According to a report from KOIN, Rayfield's previous experience in government includes initiating a budget that reinforced the DOJ’s organized crime division. He asserts that, although public safety is a key concern, criminal prosecution is just a fraction of the attorney general's responsibilities, constituting less than 8% of the office's budget. Building on current strengths in the Attorney General's office, such as the Oregon Reproductive Rights Hotline and intervention in lawsuits to preserve abortion medication access, Rayfield is poised to continue supporting these initiatives.
The Attorney General's election is shaping up to be a showdown of competing visions, as articulated in reports from OregonLive and OPB, with candidates bringing forth diverse experiences from governmental operations to civil rights advocacy and international human rights missions. Lathrop, with a background in local and global justice, has public safety at the forefront of his campaign, and he's not veering into the national limelight yet, vowing his prosecutorial prowess will coalesce efforts to press out the drug epidemic crippling Oregon, positioning himself as a no-nonsense choice against the Democratic contenders.
