2012 primary results

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Ellen Rosenblum breezed to an easy victory over Dwight Holton in the race to be Oregon’s next attorney general.

With 52 percent of the vote counted, Rosenblum had tallied 63 percent to Holton’s 37 percent.

“We had good polls all along, but of course I’m surprised by the margin,” Rosenblum said. “Oregonians got it, that I’ll look out for them. I think they appreciate that I’m going to be the first woman attorney general.”

It appears that Rosenblum will now face an opponent in November's general election. Republicans staged a last-ditch write-in campaign. Results were unknown at press time.

Holton enjoyed the avid support of Oregon’s law enforcement community as well as a fundraising advantage. In a typical election for attorney general, that would have been a hard combination to beat.

But Rosenblum carried the day. The 62-year-old presented herself as “the Oregon candidate,” based on her 30-plus years as an Oregon lawyer and judge, who would look out for children and the elderly.

A pungent whiff of weed enveloped the Rosenblum campaign in the race’s closing days. Marijuana legalization advocates threw their support to Rosenblum, contributing nearly $200,000 – about a third of her total – to her campaign in May.

“Dwight got painted as a conservative and Ellen a liberal,” said Jack Roberts, former Oregon Labor Commissioner. “I don’t think those labels were entirely fair to either candidate. But Ellen was able to take advantage.”

“The marijuana issue took over the campaign,” added Len Bergstein, a Portland public relations consultant and long-time Portland political observer. “ I think Dwight wound up painting himself in a corner with regard to what the Democratic primary voter is about.”

The attorney general candidates at first blush seemed more similar than different: Two moderate-to-liberal Democrats, both respected attorneys, both seen as well-qualified to be the state's top lawyer.

Holton said he would bring the same proactive management to the attorney general's post that he brought to the U.S. Attorney's office in Portland.

"This not just a big law firm representing the state, this is the Oregon Department of Justice," Holton said, his decibel level rising significantly at the word "Justice." Oregon doesn't need " a referee on the sideline," he added in a swipe at Rosenblum, the long-time judge.

Rosenblum described herself as a "doer and a fighter," who would look out for Oregon's vulnerable – mothers, children, the elderly.

Halfway through the race, Holton seemed to have all the momentum.

Nearly all of Oregon's district attorneys and county sheriffs who chose sides endorsed Holton. He also took a significant fundraising lead.

Rosenblum fought back, pointing out that Holton was raising more than 60 percent of his money from outside Oregon while more than 70 percent of her own contributions were from in-state.

Holton grew up in Virginia and worked in the Clinton administration. Many of his contributors are prominent Washington, D.C. democrats.

The numbers "demonstrate I'm the Oregon candidate," Rosenblum said.

The race took a surprising turn in April after the pro-marijuana legalization camp threw its support to Rosenblum.

They did so after Holton criticized Oregon's Medical Marijuana law, calling it a "train wreck."

Rosenblum jumped on the comment, accusing Holton of wanting to repeal the law and disregard the will of Oregon voters. On her Website, she promised that as attorney general, "I will make marijuana enforcement a low priority, and protect the rights of medical marijuana patients."

Roberts, who endorsed Rosenblum, said that Holton's stance felt out of touch. "I think even some Conservatives would agree these days that marijuana is not where we should put a lot of our resources," Roberts said.

Marijuana advocates were celebrating Tuesday night. "Dwight Holton picked a fight with Oregon's medical marijuna law," said Bob Wolfe, of Citizens for Sensible Law Enforcement, a pro-legalization group. "We knew the vast majority of Democrats would be on our side."

Despite Rosenblum's wide margin of victory, Roberts predicted that Holton has a future in Oregon politics. "He impressed a lot of people," Roberts said.

“We didn’t get the result we all fought hard to get," Holton said in a written statement. "But I am proud of the work we did. We stuck to our shared values and ran a positive campaign."

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