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By TIM FOUGHT and JEFF BARNARD Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The resignation of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber instantly promoted the liberal Democrat who is next in line to succeed him: the 54-year-old secretary of state who has long been thought to have her eye on Oregon's top elected position.

Kate Brown, who is widely considered to be to the left of the departing Democratic governor, will also become the first openly bisexual governor in the nation. She will not assume office until Wednesday, when Kitzhaber's resignation takes effect. He is stepping down amid suspicions that his fiancee used their relationship to land contracts for her green-energy consulting business.

"This is a sad day for Oregon. But I am confident that legislators are ready to come together to move Oregon forward," Brown said Friday. "I know you all have a lot of questions, and I will answer them as soon as possible. As you can imagine, there is a lot of work to be done between now and Wednesday."

Unlike most states, Oregon has no lieutenant governor. Under the state constitution, the secretary of state takes over if a governor steps down or dies. That has happened eight times since statehood, according to the Blue Book, the state government almanac.

Until recent weeks, the assumptions were that Kitzhaber would finish his full, fourth term and Brown would be a top contender in 2018 to succeed him.

The new job will require her to start running for election immediately, said Ron Cease, a retired professor of political science and public administration at Portland State University who served in the Legislature with Brown.

Brown would not serve out Kitzhaber's full term, but would have to go on the ballot in the next general election in 2016.

"I would think the stress level is going to be enormous," Cease said.

Brown, a Minnesota native, came to Oregon to attend law school in Portland, the state's largest city, and established a family law practice before her first run for the Legislature.

Continued here:
Governor's resignation puts spotlight on secretary of state

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Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Willie Rennie MSP and Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Charles Kennedy today (Thursday 12th February) launched the front page of the General Election Manifesto.

It includes Scottish Liberal Democrat plans to build a stronger Scotland for everyone with real home rule.The front-page will set out six Liberal Democrat priorities that will build a stronger economy and a fairer society creating opportunity for everyone.

Our commitments are only possible because of our strategy to deliver a balanced budget; borrowing less than Labour, and cutting less than the Conservatives. And it is because we have delivered in this Government that we can offer a programme that is credible and deliverable for the next Government.

In 2010 the Liberal Democrat manifesto front page included commitments for fairer taxes, rebalancing the economy and political reform. All of which went on to be key policies of the Coalition.

The six priorities are:

Prosperity for all Balance the budget fairly and invest to build a high skill, low carbon economy

Fair taxes Cut your taxes by an additional 400 by raising the tax-free allowance to 12,500

Quality health care for all Invest 8bn to improve our NHS and guarantee equal care for mental health

Opportunity for every child Guarantee education funding from nursery to college

Our environment protectedProtect nature and fight climate change with five Green Laws

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Rennie and Kennedy launch manifesto front page

Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is today (Thursday 12 February) announcing a further investment worth almost 300m to help local businesses grow.

As part of the sixth round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), 63 new projects and programmes across England will receive their share of 297m.

The funding will drive business expansion and is expected to unlock 1.5bn of extra private sector investment. It will also help create thousands of jobs.

Businesses across all industrial sectors will benefit, with 1.1bn being investing in manufacturing, 364m in automotives, 100m in aerospace and 104m for low carbon enterprises.

Commenting Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:

After decades of regional economies being neglected I set about investing directly in local businesses via the Regional Growth Fund. This investment has allowed regional businesses to be more ambitious than ever before and gone a long way in creating a stronger economy.

"A stronger economy means providing equal opportunity for everyone across the UK, rather than solely relying on the city of London to bolster UK business. The success of the RGF is proof that putting money in the hands of local businesses helps them flourish and creates opportunities for more people to work locally."

Since the RGF was launched in 2010, 2.85bn has now been invested in regional companies, helping them to expand and take on more staff.

Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cablesaid:

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Investing a further 297m in regional businesses