Kennedy entered the Senate in a November 1962 special election to fill the seat once held by his brother John. He was elected to a full six-year term in 1964 and was reelected seven more times. The Chappaquiddick incident on July 18, 1969, resulted in the death of his automobile passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne.
Kate Brown was sworn in as Oregon governor on February 18, 2015 after the resignation of John Kitzhaber. According to the Oregon Constitution, she will serve as governor until the results of the November 2016 election take effect in January 2017.
In September 2009, Kitzhaber announced he would run for a third term as governor, defeating Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury in the Democratic primary and former professional basketball player Chris Dudley with 49% of the vote in Oregon's 2010 gubernatorial election.itzhaber won the general election in November 1994 with 51% of the vote, defeating the Republican candidate Denny Smith who received 42%. During his first term, Kitzhaber introduced the Oregon Children's Plan, which was designed to identify and assist at-risk children and their families.