Oregon Governor: On February 18 of last year, then-Democratic Secretary of State Kate Brown was sworn in as Oregon’s second woman Governor. Brown succeeded John Kitzhaber, who resigned under the weight of allegations of multiple ethics violations. Oregon does not have a Lieutenant Governor. A lawyer by training, Brown was appointed to a vacancy in the state House in 1991 and was elected to the state Senate in 1996. Brown has proven to be the perfect antidote to Kitzhaber as she has focused on government transparency and accountability as Secretary of State. In her short time in office, she has signed new ethics legislation and stricter campaign finance laws. She has also been more visible than Kitzhaber was known to be. Brown easily won the May 17 Democratic primary 84 percent, beating five minor opponents. Republicans nominated oncologist Bud Pierce, who was once head of the Oregon Medical Association. Pierce put about $1 million in personal money into the primary contest, but says that he can’t fund his general election bid. Polling indicates that voters are happy with the job
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