Oregon AFL-CIO Endorses Governor Brown for Re-Election

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

GoLocalPDX Politics Team

Governor Kate Brown

Following her remarks at the Oregon AFL-CIO convention on Sunday, the labor coalition endorsed Governor Kate Brown’s bid for re-election.

The AFL-CIO said the vote for Brown’s endorsement was unanimous, citing her commitment to issues surrounding the minimum wage and protecting workers’ rights.

“Governor Brown has always been there for Oregon’s workers, and for our unions,” said AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain, who was reelected as the State Federation’s President at the biennial convention. “From her time as a legislator, to her role as Secretary of State and as Governor, she has shown time and time again what it takes to be a leader and does everything she can to make Oregon a state where working people prosper. I’m proud of our Federation for standing up, speaking out and declaring our strong support for Governor Brown.”

The convention also featured a debate between candidates for Secretary of State, including Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, State Senator Richard Devlin, and State Representative Val Hoyle. No endorsement from the Oregon AFL-CIO has been made in the race for Secretary of State at this time.

Related Slideshow: Timeline of Kate Brown’s Life and Political Career

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Childhood

Brown was born on June 21, 1960 in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain where her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force, but she grew up mostly in Minnesota.

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Education

Brown graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.A. in Environmental Conservation. She then went on to earn a degree in environmental law from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.

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Law Career

Before Brown began her legislative career, she worked at Portland State University and worked as an attorney with the Juvenile Rights Project, a non profit in Portland that provides legal services to children and families.

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House of Reps

Brown began her legislative career in 1991 in the Oregon House of Representatives where she served two terms.

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Senate

Kate Brown was elected to the Oregon Senate in 1996 and two years later was elected Senate Democratic Leader.

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Senate Majority Leader

In 2004 Kate Brown became the first woman to serve as Oregon's Senate Majority Leader. Brown served until July 2007 when she announced that she would give up her seat in the Oregon Senate to run for Secretary of State.

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Secretary of State.

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 percent margin against Republican candidate Rick Dancer.

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Rising Star

In 2009 the Aspen Institute named Brown as one of 24 "Rising Stars" in American politics and awarded her with a Rodel Fellowship.

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Personal Life

Brown lives in Portland with her husband Dan Little who she has been married to for almost 20 years and is also a stepmother to two children. She identifies as bisexual and was America's first openly bisexual statewide officeholder.

Photo: Brown kissing Storm Large at Basic Rights Oregon's 27th annual Dinner Auction in 2009. Photo by Byron Beck.

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Cut D.C. Trip Short

On Wednesday, Feb. 11 2015 Brown left is the national conference for the Association of Secretaries of State in Washington D.C. two days early.

The 2015 Winter Conference runs from February 10-13, 2015, and draws top state officials from around the country.

Brown's spokesperson, Tony Green, confirmed she is on her way back to Oregon, and that her return is ahead of schedule.

According to multiple sources at the highest level of State Government, her return is tied to a potential resignation by the embattled Governor John Kitzhaber.

Photo: Kate Brown with Peter Johnson (left) and George Vranas (right).