PORTLAND, Ore. — New York Times columnist Nick Kristof announced that he is officially running on the democratic ticket to be Oregon's next governor.
Kristof made the announcement on Twitter on Monday. He said in his tweet, "We can build an Oregon that leaves no one behind, tackles the climate crisis that impacts our state every day, and creates a fairer economy that works for everyone."
Attached was a video where Kristof explains he has never run for political office but sees problems facing the legislature every year.
"And how as the problems get tougher, politicians and bureaucrats seem less willing to tackle them," he said in the video.
It does not come as a surprise that Kristof announced his governor run.
In June, he said that he was considering running for the position and taking a leave of absence from the New York Times.
"I have friends trying to convince me that here in Oregon, we need new leadership from outside the broken political system. I’m honestly interested in what my fellow Oregonians have to say about that," Kristof said.
The following month, Kristof took a leave from the New York Times telling KGW's Laural Porter on Straight Talk he was considering testing the political waters. He talked about growing up in rural Yamhill County and the hardships facing communities like that in Oregon.
Then, in October, Kristof filed paperwork to form a campaign committee. The committee itself was not a formal announcement, but a step in the process of formally running. In November, his committee released his campaign finance report showing he had raised more than $1 million with notable donors like Angelina Jolie and Melinda Gates.
Kristof joins the open 2022 race with other Democratic candidates Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, State Treasurer Tobias Read and Betsy Johnson who recently resigned from her position as Oregon State Senator to focus on her run for governor.
Oregon House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) has also said she plans to run for governor and will formally launch her campaign soon. Other prominent Republican candidates include Salem physician Bud Pierce, who previously ran for governor in 2016, West Linn political consultant Bridget Barton and Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam.
