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NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof eyeing gubernatorial bid in Oregon: report

by Dominick Mastrangelo - 07/19/21 8:00 AM ET

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is reportedly considering a run for governor of Oregon.

“I have friends trying to convince me that here in Oregon, we need new leadership from outside the broken political system,” Kristof told Willamette Week, an alternative weekly newspaper based in Portland. “I’m honestly interested in what my fellow Oregonians have to say about that.”

Kristof, who has won two Pulitzer Prizes for his reporting on human rights abuses, was raised on a sheep farm in rural Oregon, attended Harvard and was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford before joining the nation’s largest newspaper.

Writing through a politically progressive lens, Kristof has been critical in recent months of former President Trump, Republicans and conservative media figures. He would likely run as a Democrat if he declared a bid for the executive mansion.

Current Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) is term-limited after taking office in 2015.

“All I know for sure is that we need someone with leadership and vision so that folks from all over the state can come together to get us back on track,” Kristof said.

Other Democratic primary candidates in the state include State Treasurer Tobias Read, Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, Service Employees International Union leader Melissa Unger, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Willamette Week reported.

The Cook Political Report lists Oregon’s 2022 governor’s race as “solid Democrat.”

Tags Donald Trump Kate Brown Kate Brown Nicholas Kristof Oregon