Steve Dipaola/Reuters
Oregon’s top Democrats have reportedly asked Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, to resign. Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek asked the governor to step down, according to Democratic state Sen. Rod Monroe. Courtney said in a press conference Thursday “that Kitzhaber was upset and defiant when he said no,” according KOIN 6. Kitzhaber decided to resign Tuesday in the face of multiple investigations about his fiancée’s state work and federal tax forms—then changed his mind Wednesday, according to The Oregonian. Kitzhaber had apparently gone so far as to call his would-be successor, Secretary of State Kate Brown, back to Oregon from a conference in Washington, D.C., to succeed him. The governor then met with lawyer Jim McDermott and his fiancée, Cylvia Hayes, both of whom pushed back against the idea of his resignation.