Embattled Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber had reached a decision to resign because of an ethics scandal surrounding him and his fiancée, but he changed his mind for reasons that are unclear, three people with direct knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.
They said the Democratic governor informed some of his aides on Sunday that he was going to resign and on Tuesday he asked his would-be successor, Secretary of State Kate Brown, to rush back from a conference in Washington D.C. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about private discussions.
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Kitzhaber was re-elected by a wide margin in November, easily defeating Republican state Rep. Dennis Richardson.
