Oregon’s Kitzhaber elected to fourth term

Portland – Oregon voters on Tuesday elected Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber to a historic fourth term.

Kitzhaber already is the state’s longest-serving governor, and he will extend his run after defeating Republican state Rep. Dennis Richardson.

Kitzhaber overcame ethical questions about his fiancee’s role in his administration and the revelation that she was in a fraudulent marriage years ago. He also was damaged by the state’s massive spending on its failed health insurance website.

Richardson, a retired lawyer from Central Point who has represented a southern Oregon district in the state House for more than a decade, had hoped voters had enough dissatisfaction with Kitzhaber’s performance to pick a Republican governor for the first time since 1982.

Daines earns rare Senate win in Montana

Helena – Steve Daines won a U.S. Senate seat Tuesday that Montana Republicans have not held in more than a century by defeating Amanda Curtis, a late substitution by the Democrats after Sen. John Walsh dropped out of the race.

Daines, 52, launched his Senate bid less than a year after winning his first election to the U.S. House in 2012. He had spent 27 years before that in the private sector, first as a manager for Procter & Gamble and later as an executive with RightNow Technologies.

The last Republican to hold the seat was Joseph Dixon in 1913. Since then, the seat has been held by Democrats. For 35 years, it was occupied by Max Baucus, who announced last year he would not seek a sixth term and then resigned in February to become ambassador to China.

Brown makes history with California victory

Sacramento, Calif. – California Gov. Jerry Brown won re-election Tuesday to a historic fourth term, buoyed by an improving economy and a liberal-leaning electorate in a race so lopsided Brown barely bothered to campaign.

Brown, 76, defeated Republican Neel Kashkari.

The election is likely the last for Brown, who first won office 40 years ago, in 1974. Brown’s agenda in his final term is expected to focus heavily on policies addressing climate change and on two controversial legacy projects: construction of a high-speed rail system and a water conveyance.