Nick Kristof Kicked Off Ballot, Oregon Court Rules

PORTLAND, OR — Nick Kristof will not be on the Democratic primary ballot for governor in May, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday morning.

The former New York Times columnist, who lives on the Yamhill farm where he grew up, does not meet the state's residency requirements to be on that ballot, the court said.

The court's ruling upholds a decision Jan. 6 by Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, who determined that because Kristof also lived in New York — his driver's license is from there, he paid taxes there, and he voted there as recently as 2020 — he has not been a resident of Oregon for at least three years and thus is not eligible to be on the May ballot in Oregon.

"We conclude that the secretary was not compelled to conclude on the record before her, that (Kristof) satisfied" the state's residency requirement, the high court stated.

Kristof tells Patch that while he's disappointed, not running for governor does not mean that he won't be involved in the future of Oregon.

"Oregon is where I grew up, where I live," he said. "I will be an Oregonian until I take my last breath."

No one had ever been kicked off the Oregon ballot for not being a resident — a term that had not been defined by the Oregon courts.

Kristof had appealed Fagan's decision to the courts, arguing that just because he also lived in New York doesn't mean he's not an Oregon resident. He cited his ownership of property, the home where he and his wife live, the family farm that he has helped upgrade.

Kristof is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize who spent nearly 30 years working for The New York Times before quitting to pursue a campaign to succeed Kate Brown as governor.

The decision to enter the face was a personal one for Kristof, who has covered human crises in places such as Sudan, Darfur and Libya.

"Oregon is the place where I would go back to heal," he tells Patch. "I would come to the farm. The state is filled with beauty."

In recent years, he says, things began to change. Drug use increased in the state as services for people decreased.

"One-fourth of the kids that I rode the school bus are gone," he says. "Drugs, alcohol, suicide. There are school buses like that all over the state. I have friends who right now teetering on the edge, the consequences of failed policies.

"It's not just people that I know but so many that I don't. All of those people must be helped."

The court's decision will have a large impact on the race.

Kristof had raised close to $3 million already, far outpacing his rivals in the Democratic race. Former House Speaker Tina Kotek and State Treasurer Tobias Read will likely benefit the most in the primary from Kristof's absence.

He says that it's far too soon to say if he will endorse someone else in the race.

"This is all so fresh," he says. "I have to look at the candidates and decide what to do."

As for all the money that he has raised, Kristof says he needs to meet with lawyers and find out what can or can't be done.

Meanwhile, Betsy Johnson, who resigned from the state legislature to run as an independent, also will likely get a boost from Kristof being out of the race.