Nick Kristof Challenges Ruling That Would Keep Him Off The Ballot

PORTLAND, OR — Nick Kristof was in the Oregon Supreme Court on Friday challenging a ruling that would keep him off the ballot. Kristof, a Pulitzer Prize-winning former columnist and reporter for The New York Times, is running as a Democrat to succeed Governor Kate Brown.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan ruled that Kristof isn't eligible to be on the ballot because in her view he is still a resident of New York where he lived when he was working for the Times. She cited the fact that he voted there in 2020 and had a New York Driver's License.

"The objective facts, including your decision to vote in New York, convincingly suggest that you resided in New York at least from November 2019 to December 2020," Fagan said.

Kristof, who is asking the court for an expedited review because the deadline to hand in petitions is in March, lives on the Yamhill County far, where he grew up. says that he had lived in New York but has returned home every summer since 1993.

He has also built an addition on the farm where his wife and their children live. HE has also paid taxes in Oregon since 2019.

Kristof said that the decision to remove him was not based on the facts.

"My willingness to challenge the status quo is the reason state officials want to toss me from the ballot," Kristof said.

"This was a political decision, not one based on the law."