New York Times Reports Columnist Nick Kristof Took Leave Last Month to Weigh Run for Governor

After the poll, it shows the degree to which the former “farmboy” is considering a run in Oregon.

webportlandmaidan_night_one-57 NEVER TWEET: Nicholas Kristof, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, takes a social media break during Portland protests. (Alex Wittwer)
By Rachel Monahan

The New York Times reported on July 19 that its columnist Nick Kristof took a leave of absence last month.

That disclosure follows a report by WW that the two-time Pulitzer winner is considering a run for Oregon governor in 2022. Pollsters began calling Oregonians in recent days testing his viability, WW revealed.

Related: New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof Is Exploring a Run for Oregon Governor

But his leave from the Gray Lady adds another detail suggesting he’s serious about a run.

Kristof grew up on a farm with sheep and cherry orchards in Yamhill County. The Harvard-educated Rhodes scholar made a name for himself as a foreign correspondent covering Tiananmen Square and Darfur. As a columnist, he has highlighted international human rights issues.

But last year, he co-authorered a book called Tightrope on America and its inequities, which included stories from his hometown.

Over the past year, several of Kristof’s columns have covered Oregon issues: logging wars in John Day, an uprising outside federal courthouses, and the lessons from “the uses and abuses of progressivism” in a troubled Portland. Those columns take on new significance in light of his political ambitions.

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