Rob McKenna (R)
OLYMPIA, Wash. (Legal Newsline)-Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna on Tuesday handily won a second term as the Evergreen State's chief legal officer.
McKenna bested his Democratic challenger, Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, in most parts of the state. Statewide, McKenna had 58 percent support to Landenburg's 41 percent.
Ladenburg said he called to congratulate McKenna on his win late Tuesday night.
"I congratulated him on his victory. It was very impressive. We probably ran the cleanest race in the state and I'm proud of that," he said.
Ladenburg, a former prosecutor, during the campaign hammered McKenna for using the attorney general's office to boost his public profile. He pointed to the attorney general's appearance in public service announcements, which he says are more akin to campaign ads than PSAs about identity theft.
For his part, McKenna said Ladenburg had a misguided idea of what the attorney general's office does.
"He's once again trying to portray the attorney general's office as some sort of prosecutor's office, which it's not. Less than one-percent of my lawyers prosecute criminal cases," McKenna told Legal Newsline in an earlier interview.
McKenna had a significant fundraising advantage, raking in nearly $1.9 million, compared to Ladenburg's $566,000.
The win is a boost for McKenna, a former Metropolitan King County Council member, who is considered one of the state Republican Party's best chances for winning the governor's office in four years.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.