As Oregon Supreme Court Enters Third Week of Deliberations on Kristof Residency Question, His Campaign Stays Busy

The Oregon Supreme Court today entered the third week of deliberations on whether former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof meets the three-year residency requirement to run for governor, with no indications of when it might release a decision.

Although that could leave the Democratic candidate in limbo, Kristof has been traveling the state and, on Feb. 9, released his first policy paper, laying out his vision for how he would tackle the housing shortage that has contributed to one of the nation’s highest rates of homelessness.

His solution: a homelessness czar; a summit that would bring all stakeholders together to agree on a plan; and better data. “When people become homeless, they need a place to go tonight,” Kristof wrote in his plan. “We will help communities invest in emergency and transitional housing that will provide people with a short-term place to live while caseworkers are working to help them find permanent homes.”

Meanwhile, Kristof has continued to raise money: $220,000 so far in 2022, bringing his total for the race to $2.75 million. Former House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), has outraised him so far this year, bringing in $298,000, but still lags far behind Kristof overall, having raised $1.13 million. The third major Democratic candidate, State Treasurer Tobias Read, has raised $120,000 in 2022, bringing his total to $880,000.

Kristof has also been spending money. On Feb. 13, the campaign disclosed sending $150,000 this week to Bully Pulpit Interactive, a San Francisco political communications firm that counts former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs among its senior management.

More interestingly, Kristof also disclosed spending $13,842 with a Berkley, Calif., firm called VR Research for a “Kotek project initiation fee.” That means he’s getting serious about about combatting his leading rival.

All that’s happening while the state’s highest court considers Kristof’s appeal of Secretary of State Shemia Fagan’s Jan. 6 determination that Kristof, a fellow Democrat, does not meet Oregon’s three-year residency standard.

The court is weighing Kristof’s argument that because he grew up in Yamhill, maintained property here and visited often, he should qualify as a resident versus the state’s argument that by living, owning property and voting in New York, he surrendered Oregon residency. No Oregon court has previously interpreted the state constitution’s residency requirement for governor.

Carol Butler, a campaign adviser to Kristof, says the flurry of new spending should not be taken as a sign the campaign knows how the court will decide.

“We are optimistic things are going to go our way,” Butler says. “We don’t know when, but in the meantime, we are continuing to run a campaign.”