Mayor of Pasco and a former Republican attorney general candidate Peter Serrano has been tapped as the new U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

The appointment has yet to be confirmed, but Serrano said via phone on Thursday that he is “excited and waiting for it to be finalized.” He declined to provide further comment.

The attorney’s office declined to comment. The appointment would effectively end the role of Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter, who assumed the position after the resignation of U.S. Attorney Richard Barker.

Barker resigned after only five months in office.

Serrano, a former lawyer with the U.S. Department of Energy, went head to head in the 2024 election with Washington’s current attorney general Nick Brown and lost. Both clashed with one anot

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