A growing number of lawmakers in Oregon are calling on Sen. Jeff Kruse to resign after a fellow state senator filed a formal complaint against him for sexual misconduct.
Sen. Sara Gelser says Kruse, R-Roseburg, touched her breasts and placed his hand on her thigh under a dais. She says as many as 15 additional women have also accused the senator of unwanted touching. Kruse has denied the allegations.
Kruse has been relieved of committee assignments and had the door removed from his Senate office, but lawmakers — including the likely Republican frontrunner for Oregon governor — say Kruse should step down.
"Throughout this process, Sen. Kruse has lost the personal credibility and ability to effectively serve the people of Oregon," candidate Knute Bueller wrote in a statement posted to Twitter Thursday. "That's why today I called Sen. Kruse and urged him to do the right thing and immediately resign."
Buehler also called on the Senate President and Speaker of the House to improve the workplace culture and the process of reporting allegations of inappropriate behavior at the state Capitol.
Oregon House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson says she's confident the formal complaint process initiated by Gelser will hold Kruse accountable. Still, Williamson called on him to resign.
"The Oregon Legislature is committed to changing a toxic culture," Williamson said in a statement posted to Twitter Thursday. "But that cannot happen while Sen. Kruse remains."
Jeanne Atkins, the head of the state's Democratic Party, said the issue of inappropriate touching is not a partisan issue.
"It’s important that not only this floodgate has been opened, but it’s also time for the perpetrators to stand up and acknowledge that they have heard the message,” Atkins told OPB. “Enough is enough. We would like you to go.”
Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, the state's highest-ranking Republican, called for a full investigation into accusations against Kruse, which he called "extensive and disturbing."
"Sexual harassment has no place in Oregon," Richardson said in a statement. "These are serious allegations being brought against Senator Kruse that deserve a full investigation. If due process finds them to be true, Senator Kruse should resign."
Kruse's hometown paper, the Roseburg News-Review, published an editorial Thursday also calling on Kruse to "step aside."
"In an effort to avoid a rush to judgement, we waited nearly a month to write this," the newspaper's editorial board wrote. "But the nagging questions, questionable explanations and conflicting stories from Kruse over the past two weeks lead us to a sad conclusion. The 20-year senator, known for his steady service to voters in Roseburg, South County, Curry County and rural portions of Coos, Jackson and Josephine counties, is no longer able to lead as effectively as he once did."