Former Oregon House speaker Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, is on track to be Oregon’s next attorney general.

At 10:45 p.m., Rayfield had 53.5% of the vote, compared with 46.4% for Republican Will Lathrop, a former deputy prosecutor in Oregon and international human rights attorney, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office. Lathrop is a native of Wallowa County.

Rayfield claimed victory after the results continued to show him in the lead.

“As attorney general, my focus every day will be on serving the people of Oregon — no matter what corner of the state they live in, or who they voted for,” Rayfield said in a statement. “Together, we will work to build safer communities, protect seniors, consumers and working families, and stand up against national threats to Oregon’s values, including safeguarding our abortion rights, defending democracy, and taking on big polluters.”

Rayfield’s win will keep the attorney general’s office in Democratic hands after incumbent Ellen Rosenblum, also a Democrat, steps down when her term ends. She first took office in 2012. 

This was the first open attorney general election in 16 years. The last Republican to hold the office was Charles Crookham, who served in 1992, appointed to replace Dave Frohnmayer, who first took office in 1981.

The attorney general, the lead lawyer in the state, oversees the Oregon Department of Justice and represents state officials, agencies, boards and commissions in legal proceedings. The position also involves working with other state attorneys general and enforcing antitrust laws, organized crime and public corruption investigations and oversight of the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program. 

Rayfield, 45, convinced voters he had the right combination of experience as a state legislator and a trial lawyer and partner in the Corvallis-based Nelson MacNeil Rayfield law firm, which handles personal injury and other civil litigation cases.

On the campaign trail, Rayfield said he would look for ways to use the office to address the crises in Oregon, including the lack of affordable housing, homelessness and drug addiction.

A decade ago, Rayfield was elected to the state House and represented the Corvallis-based 16th District. Two years ago, House Democrats nominated him to become speaker, but he stepped down in March to run for attorney general.

Rayfield also praised Rosenblum, saying she leaves behind a strong legacy.

Rosenblum often joined large national cases, including lawsuits against prescription drug companies for misleading marketing that led to widespread opioid abuse. On Tuesday, her office announced a $1.4 billion settlement with Kroger, which owns Fred Meyer, over its pharmacies’ involvement in the opioid crisis. Oregon will get $40 million in the lawsuit brought by 30 states. 

The attorney general also writes measure ballot titles and defends them before Oregon’s Supreme Court. 

Rayfield carried nine of Oregon’s counties, mostly on Oregon’s west side, according to preliminary unofficial election results. Lathrop won in the remainder of Oregon’s counties, but couldn’t overcome the margins Rayfield racked up in many of the state’s most populous counties.