New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is leaving the publication after 37 to consider launching a bid for Oregon governor.

The Hill reports:

Kristof has been on leave from the paper since June while he explored a new career in politics. On Tuesday, he filed papers to form a committee that will allow him to raise money and hire staff for a potential campaign, though an advisor insisted he had not made a final decision.

In a statement to staff attached to the announcement of his departure, Kristof saluted what he called a “dream job” that has let him travel the globe reporting, in spite of a bout with malaria, a plane crash in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the occasional arrest.

“[P]recisely because I have a great job, outstanding editors and the best readers, I may be an idiot to leave. But you all know how much I love Oregon, and how much I’ve been seared by the suffering of old friends there. So I’ve reluctantly concluded that I should try not only to expose problems but also see if I can fix them directly,” Kristof said in the statement.

“It’s hard to overstate how much I’ll miss him as a reader and as a colleague,” publisher A.G. Sulzberger said in a note to Times staff.

If Kristof does decide to launch a campaign for governor he will be entering an already crowded primary field as politicians work to fill the shoes left by outgoing Governor Kate Brown.