Kate Brown

For other people named Kate or Catherine Brown, see Catherine Brown.

Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 38th governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1991 to 1997, three terms as the state senator from the 21st district of the Oregon Senate from 1997 to 2009, three terms as majority leader of the Oregon Senate from 2003 to 2009, and two terms as Oregon Secretary of State from 2009 to 2015. She assumed the governorship upon the resignation of John Kitzhaber in 2015.^[1] She was elected to serve out the remainder of his gubernatorial term in the special election in 2016 and was reelected to a full term in 2018.

Kate Brown
Brown in 2021
38th Governor of Oregon
In office February 18, 2015 – January 9, 2023
Preceded by	John Kitzhaber
Succeeded by	Tina Kotek
24th Secretary of State of Oregon
In office January 5, 2009 – February 18, 2015
Governor	Ted Kulongoski John Kitzhaber
Preceded by	Bill Bradbury
Succeeded by	Jeanne Atkins
Member of the Oregon Senate from the 21st district
In office January 13, 1997 – January 2, 2009
Preceded by	Shirley Gold
Succeeded by	Diane Rosenbaum
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 13th district
In office November 26, 1991 – January 12, 1997
Preceded by	Judy Bauman
Succeeded by	Dan Gardner
Personal details
Born	Katherine Brown (1960-06-21) June 21, 1960 (age 63) Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Dan Little
Children	2 stepchildren
Education	University of Colorado, Boulder (BA) Lewis and Clark College (JD)
Signature

As an openly bisexual woman, Brown has made history several times through her electoral success. In 2008, she became the first openly LGBT person elected secretary of state within a U.S. state, and the first openly LGBT person elected to statewide office in any U.S. state. In 2016, she became the first openly LGBT person elected governor of a U.S. state and the second woman elected governor of Oregon (after Barbara Roberts).^[2][3] By the end of her term, Brown had the lowest approval ratings of any incumbent U.S. governor at that time.^[4]

Early life and education

Brown was born in Torrejón de Ardoz in Spain, where her father, Dr. James Paterson Brown, an eye doctor, was serving in the United States Air Force, at Torrejón Air Base.^[5][6] She grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, Minnesota in 1978.^[7] She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Conservation with a certificate in women's studies from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1981 and a J.D. degree and certificate in environmental law from the Lewis & Clark College Law School in 1985.^[8]

Career

Oregon Legislative Assembly

 

Brown in 2008

Brown was appointed to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1991, filling a vacancy in a Portland seat left by predecessor Judy Bauman, who took an executive appointment.^[9] She was elected to a second term before being elected to the Oregon State Senate in 1996. Two years later, she was elected Senate Democratic Leader. In 2003, she was elected Majority Leader of the Oregon Senate.

Brown was a top fundraiser for her caucus, helping the Democrats tie the Republicans in the Oregon Senate in 2003. That same year she also won the position of caucus leader. Brown helped round up votes to pass a bill that year reforming the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, although she ultimately voted against it to preserve her relationship with labor unions.^[10]

In July 2007, Brown announced that she would give up her seat in the Oregon Senate to be a candidate for Oregon Secretary of State the next year.^[11] On May 20, 2008, Brown won the election for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State, and on November 5 she won the general election by a 51–46% margin against Republican candidate Rick Dancer.^[12]

Oregon Secretary of State

Coming into office, one of Brown's priorities was to perform rigorous performance audits to help balance the budget. In 2008, for every dollar the State spent, performance audits returned $8 in cost savings. In 2010 Brown reported she delivered $64 in cost savings and efficiencies for every dollar invested in the Division.^[13]

In 2009 Brown introduced and passed House Bill 2005 to crack down on fraud and abuse in the initiative and referendum system. It gave the Secretary of State more power to prosecute fraud and enforce the constitutional ban on paying per signature on initiatives.^[14]

 

Brown accepting an award from the Oregon National Guard, June 2014

Brown also implemented online voter registration. As of March 2010, a year after its introduction, Oregon Public Broadcasting noted nearly 87,000 Oregonians had already registered online to vote.^[15]

In 2009 the Aspen Institute named Brown as one of 24 "Rising Stars" in American politics and awarded her a Rodel Fellowship. The program is a two-year fellowship designed to break down partisan barriers and explore the responsibilities of public leadership and good governance.^[16]

In October 2012 StateTech magazine highlighted Brown's use of iPad and tablet technology to increase accessibility for voters with disabilities. In 2011 Oregon became the first jurisdiction in the country to use this technology to help voters with disabilities mark their ballots.^[17]

In January 2015 Brown submitted a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in support of the purchase of Time Warner Cable by Comcast that had been almost entirely ghostwritten by Comcast, a company that has made a total of over $10,000 in donations to her past election campaigns.^[18]

Governor of Oregon

On February 18, 2015, Governor John Kitzhaber resigned amid a public corruption scandal just three months after his reelection; Brown succeeded him since the Constitution of Oregon identifies the secretary of state as the successor when the governor leaves office prematurely.^[1]

Brown named Brian Shipley, a lobbyist for Oregon Health & Science University and former deputy chief of staff to Governor Ted Kulongoski, as her chief of staff.^[19][20] She appointed Jeanne Atkins secretary of state.^[21]

Upon taking office, Brown extended the moratorium on executions Kitzhaber had enacted.^[22] In 2015, she also signed a "motor voter" bill she had championed while secretary of state, to automatically register voters using their driver's license data.^[23][24] At Politico's "State Solutions" voter engagement conference, Brown said, "Registration is a barrier to people participating in this process" and "Voting is a fundamental right of being a citizen, and people across the country should have the ability to access this fundamental right without barriers like registration". Addressing critics of policies aimed at increasing voter turnout, such as Oregon's "motor voter" law, she said, "I think the good news is, in Oregon, we actually want people to vote in our state."^[25]

In July 2016 Brown signed HB3402, which raised the maximum speed limit to 70 mph on I-82 and sections of I-84 and US-95. Previously the maximum speed limit on Oregon highways was 65 mph. This bill also raised speed limits on non-interstate highways in eastern Oregon from 55 mph to 65 mph.^[26]

Oregon law required a special election in November 2016 for the two years remaining in Kitzhaber's unfinished term as governor. By April 2016 Brown had raised over $800,000 for her campaign in 2016 alone, while her closest Democratic primary competitor, Julian Bell, had raised $33,000. She defeated Bell, Chet Chance, Kevin M. Forsythe, Steve Johnson, and Dave Stauffer for the Democratic nomination.^[27][28] She won the general election against Republican Party nominee Bud Pierce, Independent Party nominee Cliff Thomason, Libertarian Party nominee James Foster, and Constitution Party nominee Aaron Donald Auer, receiving 51% of the vote.

In January 2017, Brown named Nik Blosser^[29] her third chief of staff after the resignation of former chief of staff Kristen Leonard.^[30][31] In June 2017, Brown signed into law the Oregon Equal Pay Act, which banned employers from using job seekers' prior salaries in hiring decisions,^[32] and a transgender equity bill.^[33]

Brown was reelected in November 2018, defeating Republican Knute Buehler 50.0% to 43.9%, with Independent Party nominee Patrick Starnes, Libertarian Party nominee Nick Chen, Constitution Party nominee Aaron Auer, and Progressive Party nominee Chris Henry taking the remaining votes. She had received 82% in the Democratic primary.

In a November 2018 budget plan Brown proposed a 30-year plan to limit Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions via a cap-and-trade system.^[34] On June 20, 2019, Brown authorized state troopers to search for and return 11 Republican state senators after the Oregon Senate ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to compel them to attend a Senate session. The senators had left to prevent a quorum in the Senate and thereby block the passage of a sweeping climate change bill.^[35][36]

In 2019, after a measles outbreak in Oregon, Brown urged parents to vaccinate their children.^[37]

In response to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Brown publicly urged Oregonians to stay home to avoid spreading the virus, but was initially criticized for not issuing a shelter-in-place order.^[38] The order was officially issued on March 23, 2020.^[39]

In August 2021, The Oregonian wrote, "Gov. Kate Brown signed a law to allow Oregon students to graduate without proving they can write or do math."^[40]

In December 2022, Brown commuted the sentences of all 17 people on death row in Oregon, calling the death penalty "dysfunctional and immoral" and something that "had never been administered fairly or equitably in Oregon."^[41][42]

Criticism

As secretary of state, Brown faced political backlash over the scheduling of the election for labor commissioner between Democrat Brad Avakian and Republican Bruce Starr. The election for this position is typically held in May, but in 2009 the Oregon legislature passed bipartisan House Bill 2095,^[43] which required the election to be held in November 2012. Despite this, Starr accused Brown of pushing the election to November to help Avakian win. Brown called his accusations "unfounded and outrageous", saying her office was simply enforcing a "very clear" law, and that "this is an issue of election law, not politics".^[10][44] Starr filed a lawsuit attempting to force Brown to hold the election in May, but the lawsuit was denied because Starr could not show he was likely to prevail on the merits of his case.^[45]

In March 2018, Brown was criticized for firing state librarian MaryKay Dahlgreen, a move that surprised members of the Oregon State Library Board of Directors.^[46] She was accused of mismanaging Oregon DHS Child Welfare in audits published in January 2018.^{[47][48][49][50][51][52][53]}

In July 2018, Brown brokered meetings between several large Oregon-based companies, including Nike, and union leaders over campaigns to include Initiative Petition 25, a corporate transparency initiative, and Measure 104, geared toward limiting reductions in corporate tax breaks, on the November ballot. Brown's office said her goal was to prevent both initiatives from coming to fruition. She later faced complaints over the alleged brokering of an agreement—supposedly in exchange for financial support through a Nike PAC—in order to keep Petition 25 off the ballot. That year, Nike founder Phil Knight contributed over $1 million to Brown's Republican opponent's campaign, although the company itself gave financial support to Brown.^[54]

Only a week after the submission of an official complaint, Oregon's Department of Justice found no grounds for an investigation, with the Department's Criminal Justice Division chief council writing, "there is no information that the proponents of [Initiative Petition 25] sought to qualify the petition for the ballot for an improper purpose." Brown and supporters later characterized the complaint as a political ploy.^[55] Initiative Petition 25's sponsors ultimately withheld it from the November ballot. Despite having obtained the requisite number of signatures before the submission deadline, union leaders cited an "internal decision", rather than Nike's or Brown's influence, in choosing not to proceed. With Measure 104 and several other anti-tax and anti-labor bills having already secured spaces on the ballot, AFSCME political director Joe Baessler called the issue a "question of resources".^[56]

Brown's process in appointing Misha Isaak, formerly her general attorney, to the Oregon Court of Appeals in August 2019 caused concern among members of the State Bar Association.^[57] After the Public Records Advocate resigned and released correspondence damaging to Isaak, more people called on Brown to revoke the appointment, including former Oregon Supreme Court Justice Edwin Peterson.^[58][59]

In November 2021, Brown had a 43% job approval rating, the lowest of any U.S. governor.^[60] The same poll found that her approval rating declined to 40% in October 2022, again the lowest in the country.^[61]

2019 recall attempt

In 2019, the Oregon Republican Party and an independent group, "Flush Down Kate Brown", attempted to remove Brown by recall petition, but fell 40,790 signatures short of the required 280,050.^[62]

2020 recall attempt

In 2020, Bill Currier, chairman of the Oregon Republican Party and mayor of Adair Village, launched another recall petition. It cited many of the concerns in the 2019 petition in addition to others, mostly focused on her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon.^[63] Wilsonville activist Kelsey Massey started another petition.^[64] One must collect at least 280,050 signatures to trigger a verification process, the first step toward a recall election. On August 31, Currier announced that the recall would not be on the ballot because it had not received enough signatures. For the Massey petition, no signatures were submitted by the July 31 deadline.^[65]

Political views

According to Brown, her political philosophy shifted from the time she was first elected to the state legislature to her later public service. "When I became the caucus leader, which was in 1999, I had caucus members from very diverse parts of the state and very diverse perspectives...As the Democratic leader, I realized I represented all of the Democrats in the state, not just from my district. So that was really a shift in thinking," she said.^[66]

Brown supports criminal justice reform by opposing mass incarceration and made that a hallmark of her term as governor, commuting the sentences of around 1,100 people during her term.

Personal life

Brown lives with her husband, Dan Little, and has two stepchildren, Dylan and Jessie. She is the country's first openly bisexual statewide office holder and first openly bisexual governor.^{[12][67][68][69]}

Electoral history

Oregon State Senate

2004

Oregon's State Senate 21st District Democratic Primary Election, 2004

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	13,541	98.81%
		write-ins	163	1.19%
Total votes			13,704	100%

Oregon's State Senate 21st District Election, 2004 ^[70]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	52,278	86.52%
	Libertarian	Theresa Reed	4,563	7.55%
	Constitution	Paul deParrie	3,126	5.17%
		write-ins	455	0.75%
Total votes			60,422	100%

Oregon Secretary of State

2008

Oregon Secretary of State Democratic Primary Election, 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown	277,853	51.74%
	Democratic	Rick Metsger	145,820	27.15%
	Democratic	Vicki Walker	96,835	18.03%
	Democratic	Paul Damian Wells	14,696	2.74%
		write-ins	1,842	0.34%
Total votes			537,046	100%

Oregon Secretary of State Election, 2008 ^[71]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown	873,968	51.00%
	Republican	Rick Dancer	785,740	45.85%
	Pacific Green	Seth Alan Woolley	51,271	2.99%
		write-ins	2,740	0.16%
Total votes			1,713,719	100%

2012

Oregon Secretary of State Democratic Primary Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	284,470	91.13%
	Democratic	Paul Damian Wells	26,177	8.39%
		write-ins	1,510	0.48%
Total votes			312,157	100%

Oregon Secretary of State Election, 2012 ^[72]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	863,656	51.28%
	Republican	Knute Buehler	727,607	43.20%
	Pacific Green	Seth Woolley	44,235	2.63%
	Libertarian	Bruce Alexander Knight	24,273	1.44%
	Progressive	Robert Wolfe	21,783	1.29%
		write-ins	2,561	0.15%
Total votes			1,684,115	100%

Governor of Oregon

2016

Main article: 2016 Oregon gubernatorial special election

Oregon Gubernatorial Special Democratic Primary Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	494,890	83.06%
	Democratic	Julian Bell	49,113	8.24%
	Democratic	Dave Stauffer	16,108	2.70%
	Democratic	Steve Johnson	13,363	2.24%
	Democratic	Kevin Forsythe	10,147	1.70%
	Democratic	Chet Chance	5,636	0.95%
		write-ins	6,595	1.11%
Total votes			595,852	100%

Oregon Gubernatorial Special Election, 2016^[73]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	985,027	50.62%
	Republican	Bud Pierce	845,609	43.45%
	Independent	Cliff Thomason	47,481	2.44%
	Libertarian	James Foster	45,191	2.32%
	Constitution	Aaron Donald Auer	19,400	1.00%
		write-ins	3,338	0.17%
Total votes			1,946,046	100%

2018

Main article: 2018 Oregon gubernatorial election

Oregon Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	324,541	81.9%
	Democratic	Ed Jones	33,464	8.4%
	Democratic	Candace Neville	29,110	7.4%
		write-ins	8,912	2.3%
Total votes			396,027	100%

Oregon Gubernatorial Election, 2018 ^[74]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kate Brown (Incumbent)	885,232	50.0%
	Republican	Knute Buehler	776,558	43.9%
	Independent	Patrick Starnes	50,879	2.9%
	Libertarian	Nick Chen	26,587	1.5%
	Constitution	Aaron Auer	19,645	1.1%
	Progressive	Chris Henry	10,252	0.6%
Total votes			1,769,153	100%

Awards and distinctions

• 1995 – Recipient, Woman of Achievement Award from the Oregon Commission for Women^[75]
• 2004 – Recipient, National Public and Community Service Award from the American Mental Health Counselors Association^[76]
• 2007 – Recipient, President's Award of Merit from the Oregon State Bar^[75]
• 2015 – Was listed as one of the nine runners-up for The Advocate's Person of the Year^[77]
• 2017 – Named to the inaugural NBC Out #Pride30 list^[78]
• Profiles in Courage by Basic Rights Oregon^[75]

See also

• List of U.S. state governors born outside the United States
• List of female governors in the United States
• List of female secretaries of state in the United States
• List of LGBT people from Portland, Oregon
• List of openly LGBT heads of government
• List of the first LGBT holders of political offices in the United States

References

1. "Gov. John Kitzhaber Announces His Resignation". Willamette Week. February 13, 2015. from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
2. . MSN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
3. Helena Horton (September 9, 2016). "People are celebrating women who made history on US Election night in response to Donald Trump win". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
4. "New poll finds Kate Brown is nation's least popular governor". May 2022. from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
5. "Obituary for Dr. James Paterson Brown". Star Tribune. from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
6. Oregonian/OregonLive, Hillary Borrud | The (October 21, 2018). "Kate Brown's experience could help or hurt her chances". oregonlive. from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
7. Tim Fought and Jeff Barnard, Associated Press (February 14, 2015). . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
8. Peter Wong (February 18, 2015). "Calling Kate Brown". Portland Tribune. from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
9. Schwarz, Hunter (February 13, 2015). "This woman will soon become the first openly bisexual governor in American history". The Washington Post. from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
10. Jaquiss, Nigel (February 10, 2015). "Governor in Waiting". Willamette Week. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
11. Kost, Ryan (July 10, 2007). . The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
12. Bajko, Matthew S. (November 22, 2007). "Political Notebook: Bisexual, lesbian politicians stump in SF". Bay Area Reporter. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
13. Kost, Ryan. "Says for every dollar the state spent on audits last year, it delivered $64 in cost savings". PolitiFact. from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
14. . 75th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY—2009 Regular Session. State of Oregon. June 15, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
15. Foden-Vencil, Kristian. "Online Voter Registration Celebrates First Anniversary". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
16. "Selects 24 'Rising Stars' in Governance For Its Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership Program". The Aspen Institute. July 29, 2009. from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
17. Wong, Wylie. "How iPads Are Making Voting More Accessible in Oregon". StateTech Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
18. Woodman, Spencer (January 26, 2015). "Exclusive: politicians are supporting Comcast's TWC merger with letters ghostwritten by Comcast". The Verge. from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
19. Roth, Sarah (February 16, 2015). . KGW. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
20. Jaquiss, Nigel (February 16, 2015). "Brian Shipley Will Be Incoming Gov. Kate Brown's Chief of Staff". Willamette Week. from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
21. . KATU. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
22. Sebens, Shelby (February 20, 2015). . Reuters. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015.
23. Mapes, Jeff (March 16, 2015). "Kate Brown gets to sign her own bill, for automatic voter registration in Oregon". The Oregonian. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
24. Marum, Anna (January 9, 2019). "Gov. Kate Brown taps Nik Blosser for new chief of staff". The Oregonian. from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
25. Oprysko, Caitlin (February 22, 2019). "Oregon governor calls automatic voter registration a 'phenomenal success". Politico. from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
26. . oregonacep.org. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
27. Kullgren, Ian (March 9, 2016). "Election 2016: Who's running for office in Oregon? Portland? We've got your list right here". The Oregonian. from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
28. Selsky, Andrew (May 7, 2016). "Kate Brown expected to win primary; GOP field mixed". KOIN 6 News. from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
29. Jaquiss, Nigel (January 3, 2017). "Kristen Leonard is Out as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown's Chief of Staff". Willamette Week. from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
30. Selsky, Andrew (January 4, 2017). "Gov. Brown's chief of staff resigns". The Register-Guard. from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
31. Borrud, Hillary (January 3, 2017). "Two of Kate Brown's staffers resign following conflict of interest questions". The Oregonian. from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
32. "Recent Legislation: Oregon Bans Employers from Asking Job Applicants About Prior Salary" (PDF). Harvard Law Review. 131: 1513. 2018. (PDF) from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019..
33. "Oregon Governor Signs Transgender Equity Bill Into Law". NBC News. June 2017. from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
34. Wilson, Reid (December 9, 2018). "New governors plan aggressive climate steps". The Hill. from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
35. Lehman, Chris (June 20, 2019). "Oregon governor sends police to find missing Republicans, bring them to Capitol". The Oregonian. from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
36. Law, Tara (June 22, 2019). "Oregon Governor Orders State Police to Find Republican State Senators Avoiding a Climate Vote". Time. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
37. "Oregon Governor On Measles Outbreak: 'Get Your Children Vaccinated ... Holy Smokes'". OPB. February 1, 2019. from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
38. Acker, Lizzy (March 22, 2020). "'It's a matter of life or death': Gov. Kate Brown begs Oregonians to stay home as people crowd coast, gorge". The Oregonian. from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
39. Rogoway, Mike (March 23, 2020). "Oregon governor issues 'stay home' order to enforce coronavirus restrictions". The Oregonian. from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
40. Gov. Kate Brown signed a law to allow Oregon students to graduate without proving they can write or do math. She doesn’t want to talk about it., The Oregonian, August 6, 2021, Original,
41. Borrud, Hillary (December 13, 2022). "Gov. Kate Brown commutes sentences of all 17 people on Oregon's death row". The Oregonian/OregonLive. from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
42. Dake, Lauren; Wilson, Conrad (December 13, 2022). "Outgoing Oregon governor commutes death row sentences, orders execution chamber dismantled". OPB. from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
43. "Tracking House Bill 2095 in the Oregon Legislature". Your Government :: The Oregonian. from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
44. Cooper, Jonathan L. (March 21, 2012). "Lawsuit filed over labor commissioner election". Albany Democrat-Herald. p. 1. from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
45. Mapes, Jeff (March 22, 2012). "Oregon judge denies attempt by Bruce Starr to hold labor commissioner's election in May". The Oregonian. from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
46. Harbarger, Molly (March 15, 2018). "Kate Brown ousts respected Oregon state librarian". The Oregonian. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
47. Bach, Jonathan (January 31, 2018). "Oregon DHS child welfare audit says staff endured 'bullying, intimidation' by agency leaders". Statesman Journal. from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
48. Manning, Rob (January 31, 2018). "Audit Finds Wealth Of Problems With Oregon's Child Welfare Office". OPB. from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
49. "Child welfare audit is much more than 'just politics': Editorial". The Oregonian. February 11, 2018. from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
50. Borrud, Hillary (February 1, 2018). "Audit faults top administrators for Oregon's chronic child welfare failures". The Oregonian. from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
51. Dake, Lauren (April 16, 2019). "Advocacy Group Alleges Oregon's Foster Care System 'Revictimizes Children'". OPB. from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
52. Zimmerman, Sarah (April 16, 2019). "Lawsuit: Oregon DHS failed to prevent abuse in foster care system". Statesman Journal. from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
53. "Oregon child welfare agency under fire". The Lewiston Tribune. Associated Press. April 13, 2019. from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
54. Borrud, Hillary (September 7, 2018). "Phil Knight's contributions to Knute Buehler now reportedly total $1.5 million". The Oregonian. from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
55. Borrud, Hillary (August 8, 2018). "Oregon DOJ declines to investigate Kate Brown's deal with Nike, unions". The Oregonian. from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
56. Borrud, Hillary (August 1, 2018). "Complaint: Kate Brown's initiative deal with Nike, unions was illegal". The Oregonian. from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
57. Jaquiss, Nigel (August 30, 2019). "Gov. Kate Brown Names Her General Counsel to the Oregon Court of Appeals". Willamette Week. from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
58. Borrud, Hillary (September 11, 2019). "Former Oregon lawmaker files bar complaint against Gov. Kate Brown's top lawyer over public records pressure". The Oregonian. from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
59. Jaquiss, Nigel (September 13, 2019). "Retired Chief Justice of Oregon Supreme Court Says Gov. Kate Brown Should Revoke Misha Isaak's Appointment to the Oregon Court of Appeals". Willamette Week. from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
60. Yokley, Eli (November 18, 2021). "Why Vermont's Phil Scott, the Country's Most Popular Governor, May Be Resisting the GOP's Calls to the Senate". Morning Consult. from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
61. Yokley, Eli (October 11, 2022). "Whitmer's Approval Ticks Up in Michigan Ahead of Midterms as Most Governors Continue to Earn Positive Reviews". Morning Consult. from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
62. VanderHart, Dirk (October 14, 2019). "2 Efforts To Recall Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Have Failed". OPB. from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
63. VanderHart, Dirk (May 29, 2020). "Oregon Republicans Will Once Again Try To Recall Gov. Kate Brown". OPB. from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
64. Brookbank, J.D. (June 4, 2020). "Oregon Republicans Start Another Recall Effort Against Gov. Brown". The Corvallis Advocate. from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
65. . Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
66. Nalbandian, Mira (August 22, 2023). "Progressivism in the Pacific Northwest: An Interview with Kate Brown". Harvard Political Review. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
67. Walsh, Edward (November 5, 2008). . The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
68. "Walking Bi". Portland Mercury. from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
69. "Kate Brown, Oregon, 1992". Out and Elected in the USA – The First 30 Years: 1974–2004. Out History. from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
70. "Official Results | November 2, 2004". Oregon Secretary of State. from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
71. "Official Results | November 4, 2008". Oregon Secretary of State. from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
72. "Official Results | November 6, 2012". Oregon Secretary of State. from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
73. "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
74. "November 6, 2018, General Election Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
75. "Kate Brown honored by Oregon State Bar". The Oregonian. December 6, 2007. from the original on June 8, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
76. . www.sopride.org. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
77. "Person of the Year: The Finalists". The Advocate. November 5, 2015. from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
78. O'Hara, Mary Emily (June 23, 2017). "#Pride30: Oregon's Kate Brown Embraces Status as First LGBTQ Elected Governor". NBC News. from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2017.

Further reading

• Brad Schmidt, "Kate Brown: Next Oregon Governor Described as Tenacious, Personable," The Oregonian, February 13, 2015.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kate Brown.

• Governor of Oregon official government website
• Kate Brown for Governor October 20, 2018, at the Wayback Machine campaign website
• Kate Brown at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN

• Profile at Vote Smart

Party political offices
Preceded by Bill Bradbury	Democratic nominee for Oregon Secretary of State 2008, 2012	Succeeded by Brad Avakian
Preceded by John Kitzhaber	Democratic nominee for Governor of Oregon 2016, 2018	Succeeded by Tina Kotek
Political offices
Preceded by Bill Bradbury	Secretary of State of Oregon 2009–2015	Succeeded by Jeanne Atkins
Preceded by John Kitzhaber	Governor of Oregon 2015–2023	Succeeded by Tina Kotek
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Ted Kulongoski as Former Governor	Order of precedence of the United States Within Oregon	Succeeded by Mike Castle as Former Governor
	Order of precedence of the United States Outside Oregon	Succeeded by John W. Carlin as Former Governor