PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The federal prosecutor turned law professor who is about to become the next Oregon attorney general says his top priorities are battling the illegal methamphetamine trade and getting tough on enforcing environmental laws.

John Kroger easily defeated state Rep. Greg Macpherson in the Oregon primary on Tuesday in a Democratic race that was not challenged by Republicans, meaning Kroger will almost certainly replace departing attorney general Hardy Myers.

Kroger is the first to point out a challenger could qualify for the November general election based on the write-in vote in the primary, "so we've been stressing that we're not taking anything for granted."

But the likelihood is that Kroger will take over as chief lawyer for the state of Oregon next year.

He campaigned on his record of fighting organized crime and Enron fraud as a federal prosecutor, emphasizing his trial experience with more than 1,000 courtroom appearances.

Kroger says he is eager to get back into the courtroom after leaving the U.S. Attorney's office to teach law at Lewis & Clark in Portland in 2002.

"I'll definitely be in court representing Oregon," Kroger said in an interview Wednesday. "I think that's an essential part of being attorney general."

He said he plans to follow through on his two main campaign promises to crack down on meth production and abuse, and hold polluting companies accountable for their environmental damage.

Meth addiction "is the number one thing driving our child abuse problem in Oregon," Kroger said.

He said he remains an advocate of tough sentencing for violent crimes such as murder and rape, often a result of drug abuse.

But he said he will focus on drug abuse treatment and prevention to help reduce the damage to lives and families caused by meth production and use that is also blamed for much of the property crime in the state.

Kroger said he plans to devote an attorney to environmental enforcement cases to crack down on pollution around Oregon "that's going to take years and a huge amount of money to clear up."

Even though he plans to take a more activist role in handling cases when he assumes office, Kroger said he will focus on Oregon rather than getting involved in national cases just to be in the political spotlight.

"My goal is not to make a mark nationwide," he said. "My goal is to tackle the big challenges we've got here right at home." 

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)