Republican Will Lathrop on his candidacy for Oregon Attorney General
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is retiring after 12 years as Oregon's first woman in that role.
Will Lathrop is one of two Republicans vying to be the next Oregon attorney general. He'll have to win the republican primary in May to take on the Democrat primary winner in November.
A Newberg resident, native of Wallowa County and Willamette University law school graduate, Lathrop was a deputy district attorney in Marion and Yamhill counties for ten years before he stepped away in 2014. Then for about eight years, he worked for the International Justice Mission, a non-profit human rights organization.
On this week's Eye on Northwest Politics, Lathrop explains his choice to run for public office and what his priorities would be as attorney general.
Since Lathrop spent a number of years in Africa working with the International Justice Mission, he notes how that experience would influence his approach to this job. Additionally, with the fentanyl crisis hitting all corners of the state, he states what role the attorney general plays in combating it.
Lathrop further discloses whether he would keep the Oregon Attorney General's civil rights unit intact and whether he would continue on Ellen Rosenblum's path of environmental or anti-trust lawsuits against big companies like Monsanto, Apple and Google.
Should Lathrop win the Republican primary, he will likely face Democrat and former house speaker Dan Rayfield in November.
Watch the full interview in the video above.