Nicholas Kristof, Times Columnist, Weighs Bid for Oregon Governor

Politics|Nicholas Kristof, a Times columnist, is weighing a bid for Oregon governor.

• July 19, 2021, 11:34 a.m. ET

Nicholas Kristof, the award-winning columnist for The New York Times, is considering moving successful the Democratic superior contention for politician of Oregon.

Mr. Kristof, who grew up connected a workplace successful Yamhill, astir 25 miles westbound of Portland, said successful a connection that friends were trying to enlistee him into the contention to regenerate Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat who is prevented from moving for re-election by word limits. Last month, helium decided to instrumentality a permission from The Times to see the anticipation of a governmental campaign.

Any bid for politician would astir apt beryllium hard for an outsider, adjacent 1 with section roots and a nationalist media platform. At slightest six candidates are considering entering the race, including the authorities treasurer, the talker of the state’s House of Representatives, the authorities lawyer wide and a apical national leader. News of Mr. Kristof’s imaginable candidacy was earlier reported by The Willamette Week.

Mr. Kristof, 62, is known for his sum of quality rights abuses and women’s rights, winning Pulitzer Prizes for his reporting connected the Tiananmen Square protests successful China and connected genocide successful Darfur.

Last year, helium published a book, “Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope,” with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, that explored stories of poverty, addiction and inequality done the stories of respective of his puerility schoolmates.

He became much progressive successful managing his household workplace 2 years ago, erstwhile helium returned to the authorities with Ms. WuDunn, to modulation its concern from increasing cherries to cider apples and vino grapes.

“Although Nick has not made up his caput astir whether to prosecute a governmental candidacy, we agreed he’d spell connected permission from The Times, successful accordance with Times standards, aft helium brought this anticipation to our attraction past month,” said Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokeswoman for the newspaper.

Mr. Kristof, a Democrat, said successful his connection that helium was funny successful proceeding what Oregonians thought astir his imaginable bid.

“I person friends trying to person maine that present successful Oregon, we request caller enactment from extracurricular the breached governmental system,” helium said. “All I cognize for definite is that we request idiosyncratic with enactment and imaginativeness truthful that folks from each implicit the authorities tin travel unneurotic to get america backmost connected track.”