Jeff Kruse (born September 7, 1951) is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Oregon Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

, representing the 1st District from 1996 until his resignation for

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

in 2018.

Committees

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

In July 2013, Kruse gained national attention by appearing in a

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

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.

Sexual harassment allegations

In October 2017, Kruse was removed from all of his Senate committee assignments by Senate President

Peter Courtney Peter Michael Coleman Courtney (born June 18, 1943) is an American politician, lawyer, and professor who is currently a Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 11th District (in Marion County and including parts of Salem ...

. An article in ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' indicated that Kruse had been accused of inappropriate touching and had failed to resolve ongoing workplace issues. The removal came days after Senator

Sara Gelser Sara Gelser Blouin (born December 20, 1973) is an American politician from Oregon. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2015, she has been a member of the Oregon State Senate from District 8. From 2005 to 2015, she served in the Oregon ...

indicated that Kruse had inappropriately touched her. Senator

Ginny Burdick Virginia Burdick (born December 3, 1947) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oregon, who served seven terms in the Oregon State Senate. She represented Tigard and Southwest Portland in Senate District 18.Dallas Heard Dallas Heard (born 1985) is an American politician. He currently serves as a Republican member of the Oregon Senate. Heard had previously served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from District 2 from 2015 until 2018. Heard serve ...

succeeded Kruse as State Senator for the Oregon State Senate 1st District.

References

External links

Senator Jeff Kruse
– official website
Project Vote Smart – Senator Jeff Kruse (OR)
profile
Follow the Money
– campaign contributions 1951 births Living people Republican Party Oregon state senators Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Willamette University alumni 21st-century American politicians {{Oregon-politician-stub