Gov. John Kitzhaber, long regarded as a wily survivor of Oregon politics, resigned Friday amid a spiraling crisis that included a criminal investigation of the role that his fiancée played in his administration as well as crumbling support from his Democratic Party colleagues.
It was a steep and rapid fall for Mr. Kitzhaber, 67, a former emergency room doctor who just last November won an unprecedented fourth term as governor. His resignation means that Kate Brown, the Oregon secretary of state and a fellow Democrat, will become governor, in accordance with the succession plan in the state constitution.
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