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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.

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Governor's resignation puts spotlight on secretary of state