Attorney General

"*" = incumbent

Luanne Coachman did not provide bio information

Name: Christine Gregoire *

Party: Democrat

Campaign phone: 360-352-8481

Birthdate: 3-24-47

Occupation: attorney

Education: B.A., University of Washington; J.D., Gonzaga Law School

Political history: state attorney general, 1993-present

Family: spouse: Michael; children: Courtney, 16; Michelle, 11

Endorsements: Washington State Troopers Association; Washington State Labor Council, Women's Political Caucus, Washington Education Association

Why are you running for this office?
I have had four successful years as attorney general, fighting for public safety, protecting workers' safety, promoting laws to protect children and families and victims of domestic violence, and protecting our consumers and businesses from unscrupulous business scams. The job is not finished.

What will be your top three priorities if elected?
1. juvenile justice
2. consumer protection: especially for kids, seniors, legitimate businesses
3. making the legal system work better for all with alternatives to litigation

Name: Richard Pope

Party: Republican

Campaign phone: 365-3463

E-mail: pope@vqinc.com

World Wide Web URL: http://www.vqinc.com/pope

Birthdate: 8-18-62

Occupation: attorney

Education: J.D., University of Washington

Political history: none

Family: single

Why are you running for this office?
The incumbent has expanded the Attorney General's Office into an over-bloated bureaucracy with 439 lawyers and a $129 million budget that no longer serves the people of Washington. Scandals such as Boys Ranch, the alleged Wenatchee child-sex ring and others are absolutely intolerable and must be dealt with seriously.

What will be your top three priorities if elected?
1. make office represent peoples' interests, not dictates of state bureaucrats 2. reduce the budget and staffing to reasonable levels
3. fight corruption and improve ethics in state government

Name: Richard Shepard

Party: Libertarian

Campaign phone: 1-800-353-1776

Birthdate: 10-22-49

Occupation: attorney

Education: B.A., J.D., University of Puget Sound

Political history: candidate, state House, 1988, 1990, 1992

Family: spouse: Peg

Why are you running for this office?
I am taking a personal and financial risk in this race, and invite you to take a chance and elect me instead of a major party candidate. We should enforce reasonable laws, especially against government agencies that err, and eliminate laws that don't work. I will serve the voters, not protect wrongdoing agencies.

What will be your top three priorities if elected?
1. constitutional amendment stating attorney general's responsibilities
2. hold government agencies and employees accountable for their actions
3. maintain statistics on complaints against government agencies, employees