Donations continue to Sen. Fain campaign, despite calls to resign

Republican state Sen. Joe Fain faced calls this week to resign over a rape allegation made last month.

Meanwhile, his re-election campaign continues to receive donations. The campaign has cashed in more than $60,000 in private donations in October, though some of them were made before the allegation against Fain surfaced.

Fain's most recent donors include Republican state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the Washington Farm Bureau PAC, and former U.S. Republican Sen. Slade Gorton. Gorton declined our request for comment.

Some of Fain's high profile donors, including Bill and Melinda Gates, are now weighing in on the rape allegation.

A Gates family spokesperson says they donated $2,000 to Sen. Fain before the accusation surfaced. The Gates now say the allegation is troubling and that they "support a thorough investigation."

Tim Burgess, former Seattle mayor and city council member, also donated to Fain in the days before learning of the allegation. He says he likely wouldn't have donated if he had known beforehand. But, he's not calling for Fain to resign.

"In this case you have a credible allegation," Burgess said. "He's responded and said it's not true. I think we should be cautious before we start reaching final judgments and asking elected officials to step down."

"We believe in our country very strongly in due process," Burgess added. "We should honor that."

Fain, an Auburn Republican, denies the accusation by a Seattle woman that he raped her in 2007.

A coalition of women's rights advocates and some former state lawmakers publicly asked Fain to resign this week. Former Democratic state Rep. Jessyn Farrell said that next year, the legislature is expected to discuss new ways to address sexual harassment complaints and that Fain shouldn't be part of that.

Fain has not responded to KUOW's requests for comment.