PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The abrupt collapse of political support for Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has thrown a spotlight on the next in line to succeed him: the 54-year-old secretary of state who has long been thought to have her eye on Oregon’s top elected position.
Kate Brown is widely considered to be to the left of the embattled Democratic governor, who is under mounting pressure to leave office because of an influence-peddling scandal involving his fiancee. If Kitzhaber resigns, the former legislative leader would also become the first openly bisexual governor in the nation.
Unlike most states, Oregon has no lieutenant governor. Under the state constitution, the secretary of state takes over if a governor steps down or dies. That has happened eight times since statehood, according to the Blue Book, the state government almanac.
Until recent weeks, the assumption about Brown’s career was that she would make a bid for governor when Kitzhaber’s term ends in 2018.
On Thursday, she reported having a strange talk with Kitzhaber after he summoned her back from a conference in Washington, D.C., a move that stirred speculation that a resignation was imminent. But when she arrived in Oregon, he asked her why she had come back.