Oregon Sen. Jeff Kruse resigns in wake of sexual harassment allegations

Oregon Sen. Jeff Kruse announced his resignation, effective March 15, from the state Legislature Thursday afternoon following allegations that he groped and sexually harassed female colleagues and other staffers.

Kruse will continue to collect his pay, per diem and pension benefits until the effective date.

In an emailed statement, Kruse said he continues to deny the allegations.

“However, today I tender my resignation so my colleagues may focus on serving Oregonians without distraction and my constituents may receive the fullest representation they are due,” he wrote.

Calls for Kruse’s resignation mounted this week after the release of a 51-page report describing a litany of allegations against Kruse, including “cupping” a lobbyists buttock, calling a law student “sexy,” and “little girl,” and commenting on her legs, numerous instances of unwanted hugging, massaging, touching, kissing and placing his hands on women’s waists or near their breasts.

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A conduct committee of two Republican and two Democratic senators is scheduled to meet to discuss the investigation's findings and possible actions Feb. 22.

Kruse has said he will stay out of the Capitol until the conduct committee finishes its work. The short legislative session ends March 11.

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In a letter sent to Secretary of State Dennis Richardson's office on Thursday, Kruse said, "Please accept this notice of my resignation from the office of State Senator - District 1, effective March 15, 2018. I understand that after February 13, 2018, this notification becomes irrevocable."

Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, the first woman to publicly accuse him of sexual harassment, told the Statesman Journal that while she appreciates his resignation, she doesn't understand why it isn't immediate.

"How are we keeping women safe for the next five weeks?" Gelser said.

Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, who also filed a formal complaint, said she was relieved Kruse had resigned.

"I am hopeful that the thoroughness of the independent investigation will empower other women to speak up when they are subjected to harassment," she said.

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said he had been working this week with leadership in the Senate Republican Caucus to secure Kruse's resignation. 

“While Senator Kruse’s resignation ends a difficult chapter for the Legislature, we cannot allow it to end this discussion. We owe it to the courageous women who came forward to seize this moment," Courtney said. “The Legislative Branch is committed to providing a safe and respectful workplace that is free of harassment."

Rep. Knute Buehler, a Bend Republican, said in a tweet, "Sen. Kruse did the right thing by resigning today. Sexual misconduct has no place in the work place or any place for that matter."

Thursday morning, a group of 125 lobbyists, politicians and state organizations called for resignation in an open letter to Kruse and the Senate.

"The bravery of these women should not be dismissed or disrespected by allowing Sen. Kruse to continue to be an elected official in our state," the letter reads, in part.

Signed onto the letter are organizations including Basic Rights Oregon, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon and a handful of unions. 

“The revelations in the report about Senator Kruse’s actions are devastating. I believe the women who courageously came forward. It was past time for Senator Kruse to resign," Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, said Thursday evening. "We now have work to do to make our Capitol a harassment-free workplace, and that all individuals are respected.”

Senate Republican Leader Jackie Winters, R-Salem, thanked Kruse for his service.

"He has been a true advocate for his district and rural Oregon," Winters said. "As we move forward we must work to provide a safe work environment for all."

Oregon law requires a replacement of the same party to be chosen within 30 days of a legislator’s resignation.

Republican precinct committee members from Kruse’s District 1 will nominate three to five candidates. County commissioners for the communities he represents will then choose a replacement to serve the remainder of his term, which ends in 2021. Those include Coos, Curry, Douglas, Josephine and Jackson counties.

“I have been proud to serve alongside my colleagues in the Oregon House and Senate," Kruse wrote in his statement,  "and I am very proud of my accomplishments in healthcare and education. I look forward to returning to the wonderful community that has supported me for over two decades."

Kruse could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

Kruse's resignation follows the expulsion in Arizona last week of a state representative for sexual misconduct, thought to be the first one since the #MeToo movement started in 2017. 

Jim Moore, director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University in Forest Grove, compared Kruse to Bob Packwood, who in 1995 resigned from the U.S. Senate amid a sexual scandal.

Moore called Thursday's resignation "an almost inevitable end to the saga of Jeff Kruse."

"The timeline of resignation, even though he had been in possession of the report about him for at least a few days and could guess at the response to it by his colleagues, effectively denies his senate constituents of representation for this entire short session," he said.

Moore said: "In the end, Kruse was trying to save his own political life, not serve his constituents."

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