Kate Brown
From Ballotpedia
| Kate Brown | |
 | |
| Oregon Secretary of State | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2008 | |
| Current term ends 2012 | |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Website | Official Oregon Secretary of State website |
Contents |
Kate Brown (born June 21, 1960, in Torrejon de Ardoth, Spain) is the current Democratic Secretary of State of Oregon. As Oregon does not have a lieutenant governor, Brown is first in line to succeed to the office of governor if the governor should become unable to perform the duties of the office.
Education
- Bachelor's degree, University of Colorado at Boulder (1981) in environmental conservation
- Juris Doctorate degree, Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College (1985)
Early life and career
Although she was born in Spain, Kate Brown spent most of her childhood being raised in Minnesota. After graduating school, she went on to practicing family and juvenile law while at the same time teaching college students at Portland State University. She continues to practice as an attorney with the Juvenile Rights Project, a non-profit corporation based out of Portland that provides legal services to children and families with both defense and advocacy programs.
Political career
Kate Brown was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives seat for the 13th Congressional District in 1991 and was re-elected in 1995, holding the position until 1997. She was then elected to the Oregon Senate, representing the 21st Congressional District, in 2003. In 2004, Kate Brown was elected State Senate Majority Leader, a role she occupied until 2009 when she became Secretary of State.
Controversy
Secretary of State Project
- See also: Secretary of State Project
In the midst of the 2008 campaign, Brown received not only the endorsement but the substantial financial assistance (nearly $65,000[1]) of a "below-the-radar non-federal '527' group called the Secretary of State Project." The SOS Project stemmed largely from the Democracy Alliance, an unapologetically self-described 'liberal organization' founded in 2005 "whose long-term objective is to raise $200 million to develop a funding clearinghouse for progressive groups."[2] A fair number of financial contributors to the Democracy Alliance would also make significant contributions to the SOS Project as well, among them billionaire George Soros, Susie Tompkins Buell, and Tides Center founder Drummond Pike.
The organization's mission was, through the strategic process of placing specific candidates, ones that met a certain liberal or progressive criteria set down by the organization, the placing of individuals in positions of power that oversaw and administered state elections. In this way, the Democratic Party would be "better positioned than in the previous elections to advance traditional Democratic interests,"[3] particularly when it came to the administration of election laws.
As a '527' political organization, the SOS Project "can accept unlimited financial contributions and doesn't have to disclose them publicly until well after the election."
Electoral history
2008
| 2008 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Kate Brown (D)
| 51.7% | |||
| Rick Metsger (D) | 27.2% | |||
| Vicki L. Walker (D) | 18% | |||
| Paul D. Wells (D) | 2.7% | |||
| Write Ins | 0.4% | |||
| Total votes | 537,046 | |||
| 2008 Race for Secretary of State - General Election[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Kate Brown (D)
| 51% | |||
| Rick Dancer (R) | 45.8% | |||
| Seth A. Woolley (Progressive) | 3% | |||
| Write Ins | 0.2% | |||
| Total votes | 1,713,719 | |||
Family life
| State Government |
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| State officials |
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| Elections, 2010 |
| Primary election dates, 2010 |
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Kate Brown currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, Dan, and her two stepchildren, Dylan and Jessie.
Awards
- National Public and Community Service Award from the American Mental Health Counselors Association (2004)
- Profiles in Courage Award from Basic Rights Oregon
- Legislator of the Year Award from the Oregon Psychological Association
- Outstanding Achievement Award from the Oregon Family Support Network
- Woman of Achievement Award from the Oregon Commission for Women
Contact information
Oregon Secretary of State
136 State Capitol
Salem OR 97301
Phone: 503-986-1523
Fax: 503-986-1616
oregon.sos@state.or.us
External links
References
- ↑ Campaign Money - Secretary of State Project "527" Political Organization Filing Information
- ↑ Discover the Networks - Democracy Alliance (DA)
- ↑ Politico "Secretaries of state give Dem firewall" 2 Nov. 2008
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division - 2008 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division - 2008 General Election Results
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