Oregon could soon have the first openly bisexual governor
If Kitzhaber resigns, Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) would become the first openly bisexual governor in the US, according to The Washington Post.
This seems increasingly likely to occur: Kitzhaber is in the middle of a bizarre scandal involving alleged government favors to his fiancée's clean energy consulting business. Both Kitzhaber and his fiancée have hired separate criminal defense attorneys, according to The Oregonian, and a long list of Democrats have called on the governor to step down.
In a strange development in the saga on Tuesday, Kitzhaber reportedly decided to resign, asked Brown to return to the state from Washington DC, and then decided to stay on the job after all.
"It was a brief meeting. He asked me why I came back early from Washington, DC, which I found strange. I asked him what he wanted to talk about, according to Talking Points Memo. "This is clearly a bizarre and unprecedented situation."
If Kitzhaber resigns, Brown would not become the first openly LGBT governor, however. That distinction goes to former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey (D), who came out as a "gay American" in 2004 before ultimately resigning from office.
KOIN 6 News reported that Kitzhaber is expected to resign Friday. Brown said she is "ready" to take on the job.