Ore. governor's fiancee admits to sham marriage

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber is considered the front-runner in next month's election, but his fiancee's stunning admission that she was paid to illegally marry an immigrant in 1997 — plus other allegations about her — have suddenly complicated the race.

Wiping away tears at a Thursday news conference, 47-year-old Cylvia Hayes said she accepted around $5,000 to marry the immigrant so that he could remain in the United States.

"It was a marriage of convenience," Hayes said. "He needed help and I needed financial support."

Ashamed and embarrassed, Hayes said she had kept the marriage secret from Kitzhaber until a Portland alternative newspaper, Willamette Week, began asking questions.

The Democratic governor has not publicly addressed his fiancee's secret marriage, but the issue could come up when he debates Republican state Rep. Dennis Richardson later today.