Former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is not eligible to run for governor of Oregon, the state announced Thursday.
Kristof, who wrote for the Times from 1984 until 2021, announced in October that he would run as a Democrat in the state’s gubernatorial primary. Although he grew up in a farm in Yamhill, Kristof did not meet Oregon’s requirement that all candidates live within the state for three years before seeking office, according to Secretary of State Shemia Fagan.
“The rules are the rules and they apply equally to all candidates for office in Oregon. I stand by the determination of the experts in the Oregon Elections Division that Mr. Kristof does not currently meet the Constitutional requirements to run or serve as Oregon Governor,” Fagan said in a statement. “The Oregon Elections Division and local election officials use the same standards to determine qualifications for hundreds of candidates in dozens of offices every year. In this instance, the candidate clearly does not meet the constitutional requirement to run or serve as governor of Oregon.”
Kristof claimed to have moved back to Oregon in 2019 to run his family’s farm but voted in New York during the 2020 elections, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The long-time journalist promised to sue for ballot access, accusing a “failing political establishment” of denying “voters a choice.”
A failing political establishment in Oregon has chosen to protect itself, rather than give voters a choice. We will challenge this decision in court, and we are confident we will prevail, because the law is on our side.
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) January 6, 2022
Kristof is best known for his investigative columns, and he won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for his in-the-field commentary and reporting on the Sudanese Civil War and Darfur genocide. His reporting on child pornography and rape videos hosted by PornHub and other sites led to calls for congressional investigations, as well as new restrictions from credit card companies on the banks that partner with them. (RELATED: One Billionaire Reportedly Pressured Porn Giant To Purge Millions Of Videos)
With Kristof likely out of the race, state House Speaker Tina Kotek and Treasurer Tobias Read remain the highest-profile candidates. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is prohibited by term limits from running for reelection.