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Nicholas Kristof makes it official: he's running for governor

Yamhill's Nicholas Kristof will run for governor.

Kristof, 62, confirmed today something the 1977 Yamhill-Carlton High School graduate had been considering for three months.

The long-time journalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner framed himself as the political outsider in his Wednesday morning campaign announcement.

First to report Kristof's decision was Portland TV station KGW, Wednesday morning. Kristof made his first media appearance as candidate at 2 p.m. today at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Portland. The News-Register will have details in the Friday, Oct. 29 print edition.

In an email statement this morning, Kristof said, "Nothing will change until we stop moving politicians up the career ladder year after year, even though they refuse to step up to the problems Oregon faces. It's time to do something about a system that's rigged against so many ordinary Oregonians."

Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn have three grown children and live on the family farm in Yamhill where he grew up.

"I have never run for political office in my life," Kristof said. "But I have spent a lifetime shining a light in the darkest corners of the globe.

"I exist only because Oregon showed compassion for a refugee -- my father. It's that Oregon, the one of hope and opportunity, the one that reveals the best in us, even when things are at their worst that I believe in.

"We seem to be losing some of that now. But I know we can create it together. That's why I'm running for governor."

Kristof thickens the field for the May 2022 Oregon Primary Election.

The former New York Times journalist is the newest name for the Democratic party nomination. State Treasurer Tobias Read and House Speaker Tina Kotek both recently announced their candidacies, and Yamhill County Commissioner Casey Kulla said in July that he would run for the post. (Gov. Kate Brown cannot run again due to term limits.) 

Kristof  took two steps in the past two weeks that appeared to lay the groundwork for a run he hinted at starting in July. He resigned his New York Times position on Oct. 12 and announced on Oct. 14 that he had formally filed a candidate committee organization with the Secretary of State's office. At both steps, Kristof still stated he had not formally decided to run.

At the Oct. 10 rollout of Kristof Farms' inaugural cider, at the Portland cider bar The Place, Kristof was overheard telling supporters, "Wait for an announcement soon."

Comments

Rotwang

Thickens the field? More like making it deeper.

Drew1951

I am VERY pleased to hear this news. I am pretty sure that the hate monger right wingers will drag him through the coals. Thankfully, Nicholas is hard shelled. And, among other potential candidates, any of them would make a great governor. I look forward to working with and for whoever takes the nomination! Sorry, Rotwang.

Drew1951

I am VERY pleased to hear this news. I am pretty sure that the hate monger right wingers will drag him through the coals. Thankfully, Nicholas is hard shelled. And, among other potential candidates, any of them would make a great governor. I look forward to working with and for whoever takes the nomination! Sorry, Rotwang.

Rotwang

His campaign won't last past the primary, if that. Someone will bring up his voting in a recent New York election, where one must declare, under penalty of perjury, that he is a resident of New York. That is a matter of record.

sbagwell

What school is your law degree from, Rotwang? If challenged, that will be settled lawyer on lawyer in the courts.

It's not remotely as simple as you make it sound. It rarely is.

Steve

Oregonian

I don't mind that he has zero political experience, I mind that he has zero charisma. Anybody see that announcement today? I've never seen a more boring announcement about anything ever. Walmart announcing specials over the PA is more energizing.

Rotwang

OK, sbagwell, here are two links from the NY elections web site. I have no law degree; my field is engineering, and I have experience reading NFPA 70E and the like, and applying them to my work. Read them as you please, but, the meaning there is plain to me.

https://voterreg.dmv.ny.gov/MotorVoter/

https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html


Rotwang

But, the above isn't relevant to my original point. Someone will take that residency football and run with it, settled in court or not. I have seen it happen in a previous election in another state.

tagup

Certainly Mr Kristof and his staff have considered the issue. I doubt he would proceed if he didn’t get a positive report from his legal team.

Oregonian

The opinion letter was weak. They couldn't make quick points in two or three pages and rambled on for over ten. They mentioned that Kristof called himself an Oregonian in four or so articles over the past years as proof of residency.

We have a New Yorker as senator and now may get another New Yorker as governor.

Joel R

Just finished watching his campaign kick off video.
So weird to see a man with all of his accomplishments in life hold the view point that the reason most of his classmates in Yamhill are on drugs, dead or in prison is because "the government failed them" and "The system was rigged against them." How can he be so blind to the fact that he grew up in the same "system" and that it was his consistent hard work and dedication that got him to where he is today?
We need to stop telling poor people it's not their fault and start teaching them how to succeed.

Oregonian

He took the environment on his bus and extrapolated it to all the YC buses. Yes, he did have a bus full of trouble and people who ended up dead or worse. However, basic statistics would tell you to look for outliers and consider that he just happened to be on the bad bus.

A lot of people who grew up in Yamhill don't buy the premise of the book nor the conclusions. The story he told about Yamhill didn't reflect the town they knew.

sbagwell

It's by no means plain in the legal world. Case law shows the courts have been very flexible about residency requirements. I don't see Kristof going forward with this grueling ordeal unless he's confident his residency will hold up.

Ogjeepman

Another out of touch liberal running for office in oregon. Just what we need.

Ogjeepman

Another out of touch liberal running for office in oregon. Just what we need.

tagup

Another conclusion based solely on political party Without the benefit of knowing a candidate’s policy positions or ideas. Just what we need.

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