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Recently-elected Pasco mayor Pete Serrano announced Tuesday that he would be running to be Washington state’s next Attorney General, marking the first Republican to file paperwork announcing his candidacy in the 2024 election.

“Washington state is in trouble. Criminal activity is at an all-time high. Fentanyl overdose deaths are skyrocketing and ripping communities apart. And no one is doing anything about it,” Serrano wrote in a press release with the announcement. “As Washington’s next Attorney General, I will make it my number one job to ensure criminals are prosecuted, drug dealers are incarcerated, and our police officers know the state’s top cop has their back.”

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Serrano has a Bachelor of Arts in Italian from the University of California, Davis, a Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law, and a Masters of Laws from Vermont School of Law.

The attorney has lived in Eastern Washington since 2015 and became involved with the Pasco City Council in 2017. On Jan. 2, Serrano was elected by his fellow city council members to serve as the mayor of Pasco.

Serrano also works as the director and general counsel for the political non-profit Silent Majority Foundation, which has previously challenged the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate and the state’s gun control legislation.

“While I disagree with several laws in this state, as Attorney General, it will not be my job to pick winners and losers. I will use all the resources available to the office to defend the Constitution and the Constitutional laws of the state,” Serrano wrote. “I will provide a much-needed check on government overreach. The days of emergency orders are over – they will be scrutinized and litigated if any office oversteps the bounds and duties as provided by the state’s constitution and laws.”

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Serrano is joining the race against two Democrat candidates, former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington Nick Brown, and State Sen. Manka Dhingra.

In a poll conducted by the published in November, if the election were held, Brown and Dhingra would have about equal support, at 13% and 14%, respectively. Since there was no declared Republican candidate at the time, they placed former Republican State Representative Paul Graves, who got 38% of the vote, as a hypothetical candidate on the poll. Lastly, 34% were not sure who they planned on voting for.

If elected, Serrano would be the first Republican to serve as Attorney General since Rob McKenna in 2012.

The 2024 election for Washinton State Attorney General will be held Nov. 5, 2024.