Vote for Ellen Rosenblum for Attorney General

Cody Hoesly

There are a lot of reasons to vote for Ellen Rosenblum for Attorney General. Some have been noted here before, including her many years working in Oregon, her career as a public servant, her support for women and minorities, her wonderful personality, and her stance on major issues such as medical marijuana. I want to add another reason to the list.

The office of the Oregon Attorney General is grounded in Oregon state law, not federal law. While federal law regulates many facets of our lives, it is generally state law that regulates the issues you are most likely to worry about: how homes can be foreclosed, how divorce and child custody cases are resolved, what kind of recovery you can receive when someone injures your person or property, and many other civil and criminal law matters. Because Ellen has worked for decades in Oregon state courts on issues of Oregon state law, she will be able to hit the ground running when it comes to those issues.

Ellen has also worked for decades with the legislators who write Oregon laws and the judges who interpret them. If a law needs to be changed, Ellen will have the upper hand, because she will be able to walk across the street from her office to the capitol and find friends who know her and trust her and believe in her, and who will work with her to change that law. Ellen's years working on Oregon trial courts will help her know how the law will play out in the real world and how it will affect regular people. Ellen's years working on Oregon's Court of Appeals will give her insight into the larger policy questions about what should the law be, what gaps are there, and where reform is needed.

Dwight Holton has, by all accounts, been a great federal prosecutor. But a career grounded in federal criminal law does not provide the ideal background for the office of Oregon Attorney General. The learning curve would be steep and lengthy, and the problems Oregon is facing (from the home foreclosure crisis to the public retirement system) demand immediate attention from someone who is already familiar with them, ready to act, and prepared to succeed. Ellen is that person. She is that candidate. She deserves your support for Oregon Attorney General.

By Cody Hoesly April 29, 2012