Oregon attorney general election, 2012
 Oregon's 2012 elections: • U.S. House • Attorney General • Secretary of State • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • Ballot measures |
The Oregon attorney general election will take place on November 6, 2012. Election day polling hours are from 6 am until 6 pm.
On May 15, Ellen Rosenblum handily defeated Dwight Holton in the Democratic primary race for Attorney General of Oregon. The polls closed at 8pm and the race was called soon thereafter, with only 50% of the votes counted. At the time the race was called, Rosenblum boasted a 63%-37% lead over her opponent, securing the party's nomination, and, without a viable general election challenger, the office of attorney general.[1]
Current Democratic Oregon attorney general John Kroger announced last October that he would be retiring upon expiration of his term in 2012, citing an undisclosed health problem. [2] Kroger's retirement left the 2012 Democratic primary race wide open. Of the three candidates who originally declared their intentions to seek the party's nomination, two remained: Ellen Rosenblum and Dwight Holton. Rosenblum is a retired Appeals Court Judge and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Holton served formerly as the head of the United States Attorney’s Oregon Office and acting U.S. Attorney.[3]
The two standing candidates presented impressive and vastly different backgrounds for Oregon's Democratic voters to consider. Their shared moderate political sensibility but diverging sets of credentials made for a tight race. "Rosenblum has the edge in her familiarity with the Oregon court system, Holton has more proven management experience."[4]
The most divisive issue of the race was about the candidates' positions on Oregon's Medical Marijuana Act. Holton had referred to the 1998 ballot initiative to permit doctor-authorized medical marijuana use as a "train-wreck". Though he had pledged to enforce the voter-approved law if elected, he indirectly assisted in federal raids on state-sanctioned grow-sites while working for the U.S. Attorneys office. He also said he believes that the law has fostered black-market activity and a move toward "back-door legalization".[5] Rosenblum, on the other hand, won over the pro-cannibus community by assuring that "personal marijuana use is the lowest priority for law enforcement" and promising to defend the state against federal interference with OMMA rights.[5]
Reports released as of one month before the primary showed Holton, who is Kroger's first choice to succeed him in office, gaining a financial advantage over Rosenblum thanks to support from the state's largest union, Service Employees International Union. The SEIU famously backed Kroger's final campaign for attorney general with a $300,000 donation. A modest sum by comparison, the $20,000 Holton has received from the union is nonetheless substantial- especially when combined with endowments obtained from the Oregon Education Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 48, two other unions known as "powerhouses in state politics".[6] The advantage all but vanished, however, when in the eleventh hour Rosenblum received a gift of $70,000 - the biggest single contribution for either campaign that season - from the drug law reform group Drug Policy Action, whose goal was to prevent Holton, who was less enthusiastic about the prospect of enforcing Oregon's Medical Marijuana Law, from winning the election.[7]
Because no Republican candidates filed for the election, the general expectation was for the race to be settled in the primary on May 15. Fulfillment of this expectation hinged on the performance of the GOP's write-in candidate, James Buchal. Buchal is a property-rights lawyer and three-time candidate for State House. In 2008, the party failed to recruit a standard candidate for the office. In the absence of any strong write-in Republicans, Kroger (D) ultimately won both the GOP and Democratic party nominations. The Republicans were determined to prevent a repeat of that election and make sure a pattern would not form. About the 2008 incident of bipartisan convergence upon the primary Democratic candidate, Oregon's GOP chief of staff Greg Leo told the press on May 3 that “It’s grated on us so much that we said next time we have a vacancy for statewide office, let’s do a write-in campaign and make sure a Republican fills that spot.”[8]
- Key dates
- May 15 primary election
- Endorsements
- Polls
- Campaign finance
- November 6 general election
- Campaign sites/media
- News
- Administrative deadlines are at close of business (5:00) unless otherwise noted.
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| Mar. 6 | Last day to file candidacy |
| Apr. 24 | Voter registration for primary election |
| May 15 | Primary election |
| June 14 | Certification of election results |
| Nov. 6 | General election |
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Results |
| 2 Candidates |
| 2.1 Democratic primary candidates |
| 2.2 Republican primary candidates |
| 2.3 Other |
| 3 Endorsements |
Results
| Oregon Attorney General Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ellen Rosenblum |
64.4% | 197,366 |
| Dwight Holton | 35.4% | 108,356 |
| Write-in votes | 0.2% | 614 |
| Total Votes | 306,336 | |
Candidates
Democratic primary candidates
- Dwight Holton-former interim U.S. Attorney
- Ellen Rosenblum-retired appeals court judge.
Republican primary candidates
Former candidates
- Portland lawyer Katherine Heekin pulled out of the race in early February. Heekin was reportedly discouraged by the tremendous support her fellow candidates garnered for their campaigns early on.[10]
Candidates
Dwight Holton
|
Ellen Rosenblum
|
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- The results of this SurveyUSA poll represent the responses of 432 registered Democrats that had already returned a ballot or were likely to do so in the May 15 Democratic primary. Responses were delivered over home or smartphone over the 3 day polling period between May 7 and May 10.
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Due dates for reports |
| 2 Candidates |
Due dates for reports
The Secretary of State administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.
As of 2007, there are no longer "scheduled" reporting deadlines. Committees will continuously report campaign finance transactions.
Candidates
Democrats
Dwight Holton
His top ten contributors as of May 4, 2012 are listed below.[14]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Citizens Action for Political Education | $25,000.00 |
| Multnomah County Prosecuting Attorneys Association | $20,000.00 |
| Pinewood Drading Fund | $15,000.00 |
| John Kroger for Attorney General | $12,000.00 |
| Local 48 Electricians PAC | $10,000.00 |
| Oregon Education Association - People for Improvement of Education (142) | $10,000.00 |
| Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC | $10,000.00 |
| Kari Miller | $10,000,00 |
| Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check LLP | $10,000.00 |
| Oregon Education Association - People for Improvement of Education | $10,000.00 |
Ellen Rosenblum
Her top ten contributors as of May 4, 2012 are listed below.[15]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Drug Policy Action | $150,000 |
| Philip Knight | $25,000.00 |
| Oregon Beverage PAC | $10,000.00 |
| Jay Gellert | $5,000.00 |
| Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf PC | $5,000.00 |
| Thorton & Naumes LLP | $5,000.00 |
| Emily's List | $5,000.00 |
| Miscellaneous Cash Contributions $100 and under | $4,088.00 |
| Jan Baisch | $4,000.00 |
| Leonard Meeker | $2,500.00 |
Campaign sites
Democrats
Advertisements/Videos
Ellen Rosemblum
|
Dwight Holton
|
- Open primaries a non-starter for Oregon Republicans
- Oregon secretary of state sued by candidate over alleged misinformation
- Oregon secretary of state's election date snafu still unresolved despite judge's ruling
- 2012 elections preview: Oregonians prepare to choose state executive nominees at the polls tomorrow
- Election aftermath: Oregon's state executive races
- Election preview: Oregon's state executive candidates file for office
- Attorney General Kroger leaves politics to take job as president
See also
Articles
- Open primaries a non-starter for Oregon Republicans
- Oregon secretary of state sued by candidate over alleged misinformation
- Oregon secretary of state's election date snafu still unresolved despite judge's ruling
- 2012 elections preview: Oregonians prepare to choose state executive nominees at the polls tomorrow
- Election aftermath: Oregon's state executive races
- Election preview: Oregon's state executive candidates file for office
- Attorney General Kroger leaves politics to take job as president
External links
- Oregon Secretary of State Official Site
- Oregon Elections Division
- Politics1-Oregon 2012
- The Green Papers
- Eugene City Club Debate between Democratic AG hopefuls, March 17, 2012
- Listen to candidates Holton and Rosenblum debate the issues at the Salem City Club on April 23
References
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon 2012 Primary Results," May 15, 2012
- ↑ OregonLive.com, "Oregon Attorney General John Kroger shocks employees with announcement that he won't seek re-election," October 18, 2011
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Former U.S. Attorney announces run for Oregon AG," January 11, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live "Oregon Attorney General race comes down to 2 Democrats: Dwight Holton and Ellen Rosenblum," March 8, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Statesman Journal, "Marijuana and the campaign for attorney general," April 30, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Dwight Holton reels in $20,000 in union donations," April 6, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Drug reform group funnels $70,000 to AG candidate Rosenblum," May 9, 2012
- ↑ The Statesman Journal, "Oregon GOP backs write-in effort," May 3, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon 2012 Primary Results," May 15, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Katherine Heekin withdraws from Oregon AG race," February 9, 2012
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Editorial roundup: A guide to The Oregonian's primary election endorsements," April 30, 2012
- ↑ Statesman Journal, "Medical marijuana and the campaign for attorney general," April 28, 2012
- ↑ [http://ellenrosenblum.com/news/bend-bulletin-endorses-ellen-rosenblum-ag The Bend Bulletin via Rosenblum Campaign Site, "Campaign Press Release-The Bend Bulletin Endorses Ellen Rosenblum for AG," April 16, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reports-Dwight Holton," accessed May 4, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Reports-Ellen Rosenblum," accessed May 4, 2012
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