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Jeff Kruse

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Jeff Kruse
Member of the Oregon State Senate
from the 1st district
In office
January 2005 – March 15, 2018
Preceded byBill Fisher
Succeeded byDallas Heard
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 45th (to 2002), later 7th district
In office
January 1997 – January 2005
Preceded byBill Fisher
Succeeded byBruce Hanna
Personal details
Born (1951-09-07) September 7, 1951 (age 73)
Oregon
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceRoseburg, Oregon
Alma materWillamette University
OccupationFarmer

Jeff Kruse (born September 7, 1951) is a former Republican member of the Oregon Senate, representing the 1st District from 1996 until his resignation for sexual harassment in 2018.[1]

Committees

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Kruse formerly sat on the following Senate Committees:

  • Education and General Government, Vice Chair
  • Health and Human Services, Vice Chair
  • Public Education Appropriation, Member
  • Services to Seniors and People with Disabilities, Vice Chair

Native American mascot controversy

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In July 2013, Kruse gained national attention by appearing in a CNN video news story about a bill he sponsored. His bill would reverse an existing Oregon law requiring public schools to remove what some colleagues consider "racist" and "insensitive" references to Native Americans on their sports team's uniforms. Prior to the enactment of the 2012 Oregon law, the State Superintendent of Schools had determined that the continued use of Native American mascots has created a "hostile educational environment". Schools have been given until 2017 to comply with the required change. In defending his bill, Kruse has asked: "do we change the entire world for the small few [sic]? He graduated from Roseburg High School whose mascot is "the Indians". This mascot is frequently depicted in cartoons as clownish or as a charging warrior. The images have offended citizens of Native American descent and caused local controversy.[2]

Sexual harassment allegations

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See also: Me Too movement

In October 2017, Kruse was removed from all of his Senate committee assignments by Senate President Peter Courtney. An article in The Oregonian indicated that Kruse had been accused of inappropriate touching and had failed to resolve ongoing workplace issues.[3]

The removal came days after Senator Sara Gelser indicated that Kruse had inappropriately touched her. Senator Ginny Burdick supported Gelser's allegations, calling Kruse's behavior a "chronic problem", recalling an incident where she had to tell Kruse to get his hands off of Gelser and another incident where Kruse had inappropriately touched a female staffer on the Senate floor.[4]

Kruse's smoking violations in his Capitol office were also a factor in the sanctions. He categorically denied any inappropriate behavior while acknowledging that "the smoking still is an issue that I will not deny."[5]

On February 9, 2018, Kruse announced his resignation, to take effect March 15, 2018.[6]

On April 17, 2018 fellow member of the Douglas County delegation Dallas Heard succeeded Kruse as State Senator for the Oregon State Senate 1st District.[7]

Electoral history

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2004 Oregon State Senator, 1st district [8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Kruse 38,866 65.9
Democratic Bruce W. Cronk 19,992 33.9
Write-in 103 0.2
Total votes 58,961 100%
2008 Oregon State Senator, 1st district [9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Kruse 38,366 69.7
Democratic Eldon Rollins 16,461 29.9
Write-in 229 0.4
Total votes 55,056 100%
2012 Oregon State Senator, 1st district [10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Kruse 40,361 71.4
Democratic Eldon Rollins 16,062 28.4
Write-in 121 0.2
Total votes 56,544 100%
2016 Oregon State Senator, 1st district [11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Kruse 45,775 73.4
Democratic Timm Rolek 16,476 26.4
Write-in 106 0.2
Total votes 62,357 100%

References

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  1. ^ "State Government Legislators and Staff, 2005 Regular Session". Oregon State Archives. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  2. ^ "Lose that mascot, or lose state funding". CNN. July 18, 2013. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  3. ^ Friedman, Gordon R. (October 21, 2017). "Oregon state senator booted from committees over 'ongoing workplace issues'". KATU. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  4. ^ Friedman, Gordon R. (October 23, 2017). "State senator: Fellow senator groped me in Oregon Capitol". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  5. ^ Friedman, Gordon R. (October 20, 2017). "State senator stripped of powers due to allegations of inappropriate touching in Capitol". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kruse to resign after finding of groping at Capitol". The Oregonian. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  7. ^ Borrud, Hillary (April 10, 2018). "Roseburg Republican Dallas Heard selected to replace disgraced ex-lawmaker Jeff Kruse". The Oregonian.
  8. ^ "Official Results | November 2, 2004". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  9. ^ "Official Results | November 4, 2008". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "Official Results | November 6, 2012". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes". Oregon Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
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