SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline)-Oregon attorney general candidate John Kroger, who won the Democratic and Republican nominations, notched a bevy of endorsements from the Beaver State's Democratic establishment after they opposed him in his primary race against a veteran state lawmaker.

Kroger, a criminal law and jurisprudence professor at Portland's Lewis & Clark Law School, handily won Oregon's May 20 Democratic primary against state Rep. Greg Macpherson, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

During the primary, Macpherson had the support of such Oregon Democratic heavyweights as Gov. Ted Kulongoski and longtime Attorney General Hardy Myers, both of whom endorsed Kroger Thursday.

"I am honored to have the support of Attorney General Hardy Myers," Kroger said in a statement. "I have huge respect for Hardy's service to our state and his leadership of the Department of Justice."

Also endorsing Kroger Thursday were former Democratic Gov. Barbara Roberts, Portland Mayor-Elect Sam Adams and the Oregon League of Conservation Voters.

All along, Kroger has had the strong backing of Oregon's largest union groups: the Oregon Education Association, the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union Locals 503 and 49.

Since there was no official Republican candidate for attorney general, the secretary of state's office had to count the 13,043 write-in votes from May's primary.

In the write in count, Kroger beat former Republican gubernatorial candidates Ron Saxton and Kevin Mannix.

"I am proud to have broad bi-partisan support from all across Oregon," Kroger said.

In November, Kroger faces a challenge only from Constitution Party nominee James Leuenberger, an attorney from Lake Oswego who previously ran for a seat on the Oregon Supreme Court and for a seat on the Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland.

From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.