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Ellen Rosenblum
Ellen Rosenblum (Democratic Party) was the Attorney General of Oregon. She assumed office on June 29, 2012. She left office on December 31, 2024.
Rosenblum (Democratic Party, Working Families Party, Independent) ran for re-election for Attorney General of Oregon. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020. She advanced from the Democratic primary on May 19, 2020.
Rosenblum was sworn in on June 29, 2012, which made her the state's first female attorney general. Former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) appointed her to the position to serve out the remaining term of John Kroger (D), who served from 2008 to 2012.[1]
During her service as attorney general, Rosenblum initiated a criminal investigation of Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) on February 9, 2015. Kitzhaber resigned from office effective February 18, 2015. Click here to read more about the investigation.
Rosenblum was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Oregon. She was one of 13 superdelegates from the state. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus results to support a specific presidential candidate. Rosenblum supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
Biography
Ellen Rosenblum earned a B.S. in sociology from the University of Oregon in 1972 and her J.D. from the same university in 1975.[2] Rosenblum began her legal career in private practice when she joined a small firm in Eugene, Oregon, in 1975. By 1980, she served as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, specializing in financial crimes. Rosenblum also served as an officer on the executive committee of the American Bar Association.[3]
Rosenblum served as a judge on the Multnomah County District Court from 1989 to 1993, on the Multnomah County Circuit Court from 1993 to 2005, and on the Oregon Court of Appeals from 2005 to 2012.
Elections
2024
- See also: Oregon Attorney General election, 2024
Ellen Rosenblum did not file to run for re-election.
2020
See also: Oregon Attorney General election, 2020
Oregon Attorney General election, 2020 (May 19 Republican primary)
Oregon Attorney General election, 2020 (May 19 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for Attorney General of Oregon
Incumbent Ellen Rosenblum defeated Michael Cross and Lars Hedbor in the general election for Attorney General of Oregon on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ellen Rosenblum (D / Working Families Party / Independent) | 56.0 | 1,264,716 |
 | Michael Cross (R)  | 41.3 | 934,357 | |
 | Lars Hedbor (L) | 2.3 | 52,087 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 8,490 | ||
| Total votes: 2,259,650 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Oregon
Incumbent Ellen Rosenblum advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Oregon on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ellen Rosenblum | 99.0 | 483,273 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.0 | 4,661 | ||
| Total votes: 487,934 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of Oregon
Michael Cross advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Oregon on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Cross | 96.7 | 279,909 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 3.3 | 9,537 | ||
| Total votes: 289,446 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Oregon
Lars Hedbor advanced from the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Oregon on July 6, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Lars Hedbor (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: Oregon Attorney General election, 2016
Rosenblum declared her candidacy for the Democratic attorney general nomination in 2016. She was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Republican Daniel Crowe and Libertarian Lars D.H. Hedbor filed to run against her in the general election. She also ran as an independent write-in candidate and as a Working Families Party candidate.[4]
Incumbent Ellen Rosenblum defeated Daniel Crowe and Lars D.H. Hedbor in the Oregon attorney general election.[5]
| Oregon Attorney General, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Working Families/Independent Party of Oregon |  Ellen Rosenblum Incumbent |
55.07% | 1,011,761 | |
| Republican | Daniel Crowe | 41.74% | 766,753 | |
| Libertarian | Lars D.H. Hedbor | 3.19% | 58,609 | |
| Total Votes | 1,837,123 | |||
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Ellen Rosenblum ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for attorney general.
| Democratic primary for attorney general, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ellen Rosenblum Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.96% | 350,737 |
| Write-in votes | 1.04% | 3,699 |
| Total Votes | 354,436 | |
| Source: http://oregonvotes.gov/results/2016P/71227554.html | ||
2012
- See also: Oregon attorney general election, 2012
Former incumbent attorney general John Kroger (D) vacated his seat six months ahead of schedule to become President of Reed College. On June 6, 2012 Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Rosenblum to serve out the remainder of Kroger's term, and she was subsequently sworn in as the state's first female attorney general on June 29, 2012.[6] She went on to win the general election on November 6, 2012.[7]
- General
- On November 6, 2012, Rosenblum defeated James Buchal (R), Chris Henry (Progressive) and James Leuenberger (Libertarian, Constitution Party) in the general election with 56.3 percent of the total vote.[8][9]
| Attorney General of Oregon General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ellen Rosenblum Incumbent |
56.3% | 917,627 | |
| Republican | James Buchal | 39.2% | 639,363 | |
| Libertarian | James Leuenberger | 2.8% | 45,451 | |
| Progressive | Chris Henry | 1.7% | 28,187 | |
| Total Votes | 1,630,628 | |||
| Election results via Oregon Secretary of State | ||||
- Primary
- On May 15, 2012, Rosenblum defeated Dwight Holton in the Democratic primary for attorney general with 64% of the vote.
| 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 | |||
| Election results via Oregon Live. | ||||
Endorsements
Rosenblum's endorsements included:
- Citizens for Sensible Law Enforcement
- Emily's List
- Association of Federal, State, County & Municipal Employees Council 75
- Former Attorney General Hardy Myers
- Former Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer
- Eugene State Senator Floyd Prozanski
- Former Secretary of State Norma Paulus
- Former Multnomah County Chair Bev Stein
- Former Governor Barbara Roberts
- Immediate Past President of the Oregon Bar Association Steve Piucci[10]
- The Bend Bulletin[11]
- Klamath County DA Edwin Caleb
- Association of Federal, State, County & Municipal Employees Council 75
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ellen Rosenblum did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Rosenblum's campaign website stated that if re-elected, she would "continue to stand up for the rights of all Oregonians." It also pointed to her work to end unlawful trade practices; enforce child support payment; modernize data privacy laws; and protect citizens from crime, civil rights violations, and consumer fraud.[3]
2012
As a former judge and attorney general candidate, Rosenblum commented on Oregon's debate over how best to manage criminals in the secondary phase after they are apprehended by law enforcement officers. The debate hinged on Measure 11, a 1994 measure that imposed mandatory sentences for certain crimes. Rosenblum said, "I sometimes wondered why I was even sentencing the defendant in a case because the sentence was already kind of a done deal and it took the discretion away from judges." She also stated that "severely weakening" Measure 11 was not her intention. She concluded, "It is critical that we take a tough stance on crime, but I am open to examining new ways of doing so that ensure that our scarce government resources are being used wisely."[12]
Rosenblum also said she would work to restore morale in the Justice Department and to improve the office's connections with the rest of government.[13]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
2015 investigation of Gov. Kitzhaber
 |
1995-2003, 2011-2015 |
Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) |
February 11 story February 13 story Impeachment amendment Recall effort Cylvia Hayes Kate Brown Ellen Rosenblum Governor of Oregon Governor Vacancy process |
Rosenblum announced on February 9, 2015, that she was initiating a criminal investigation of Gov. John Kitzhaber and his fiancee, Cylvia Hayes.[14] Rosenblum announced the investigation on the same day that Kitzhaber publicly requested a criminal investigation of potential ethics violations in his administration discussed in detail here. The attorney general's office has the ability to request records, issue subpoenas to witnesses, and charge the governor and his advisors with illegal activity. Rosenblum delayed an investigation because she was concerned about her office's role as attorney for the executive branch, although former state officials argued that she was responsible for investigating corruption within the branch. Republican legislators such as Ted Ferrioli supported the investigation, but argued that a special prosecutor should be appointed to eliminate concerns about Rosenblum's objectivity when investigating a fellow Democratic official.[15] Kitzhaber announced his resignation from office on February 13, 2015, effective on February 18.[16]
2013 for-profit colleges letter
On March 11, 2013, Rosenblum, with 12 other state attorneys general, sent a letter to Congress in support of the Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act, a bill that sought to ban for-profit colleges from using federal funds for marketing and recruiting techniques.[17] Senators Kay R. Hagan (D-N.C.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chaired the chamber's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, sponsored the bill. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) stated that the proposed law aimed to "ensure that scarce federal education dollars will be used to serve and educate students rather than to finance advertising campaigns, recruitment operations, and aggressive marketing."[18]
In the letter, the attorneys general wrote, "Federal taxpayers should not be asked to foot the bill for aggressive recruiting and deceptive sales tactics of colleges that have placed profits ahead of ensuring student success."[18] At the time, there were an estimated 3,000 for-profit schools nationwide.[19]
On March 12, 2013, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, but no subsequent action was taken and the bill died in committee.[20]
On April 23, 2013, a related bill — HR 340 — was referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce's subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, but it also died in committee.[21]
2012 mortgage rules
On July 23, 2012, Rosenblum ordered the permanent adoption of what were previously temporary rules for shielding consumers from predatory lending practices. The rules were put in place by her predecessor, John Kroger (D), in February 2012 in response to a $25 billion, 49-state mortgage settlement with five of the largest lending institutions in the country.[22][23] At the time of the rules' initial adoption, Oregon residents were defaulting on their mortgages at a rate of 1,400 per month.[23] Rosenblum's office press release stated that the rules "place no new obligations on local banks and credit unions but make it unlawful for a mortgage loan servicer to fail to deal with a borrow in good faith."[22]
See also
2020 Elections
- Attorney General of Oregon
- Oregon Attorney General election, 2016
- Oregon attorney general election, 2012
- Governor of Oregon
- Gov. John Kitzhaber
- Oregon Court of Appeals
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon Attorney General John Kroger will leave office early to be Reed College president," April 25, 2012
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Ellen Rosenblum's Biography," accessed October 18, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ellen, "Meet Ellen," accessed May 6, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsos - ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes," accessed May 25, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedordoj - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedabout - ↑ Oregon Live, "2012 General Election Results," November 7, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Elections Division-Candidate Filing," accessed September 13, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon Attorney General race comes down to 2 Democrats: Dwight Holton and Ellen Rosenblum," March 8, 2012
- ↑ The Bend Bulletin via Rosenblum Campaign Site, "Campaign Press Release-The Bend Bulletin Endorses Ellen Rosenblum for AG," April 16, 2012
- ↑ Katu.com, "Local AG race raises questions about Measure 11," 'April 11, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Ellen Rosenblum's mission will be to reconnect Justice Department to Legislature," May 15, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "Oregon Bedfellows Make for Strange Politics", February 11, 2015; retrieved February 11, 2015
- ↑ Governing, "Oregon AG Launches Criminal Investigation of Gov. Kitzhaber and His Fiancee," February 10, 2015
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber resigns amid ethics investigations," February 13, 2015
- ↑ The Library of Congress, "Bill Text 113th Congress (2013-2014) S.528.IS," March 12, 2013
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Boston Globe, "Attorney generals to Congress: Don’t let for-profit colleges use federal grants and loans for advertising," March 17, 2013
- ↑ Commonwealth of Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, "Letter to Congress," March 11, 2013
- ↑ Congress.gov, "All Bill Information (Except Text) for S.528 - Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act," accessed August 7, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "All Bill Information (Except Text) for H.R.340 - Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act," accessed August 7, 2015
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Oregon Department of Justice, "Press Release:Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum Announces adoption of laws for mortgage loan servicers," July 23, 2012
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 The Oregonian, "Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum takes practical steps on mortgages," July 23, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Attorney General of Oregon 2012-2024 |
Succeeded by Dan Rayfield (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Oregon Court of Appeals Position 9 2005-2012 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 8 1993-2005 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Judge Multnomah County District Court 1989-1993 |
Succeeded by - |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
State of Oregon Salem (capital) |
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