New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof will have to put his political aspirations on pause. Kristof, who left the NYT to launch a campaign to become Oregon’s next governor will not be appearing on the ballot because he failed to meet the state’s residency requirement.

According to The Hill:

The Oregon Elections Division ruled on Thursday that former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is eligible to run for governor because he failed to meet the state’s residency requirement.

Oregon’s constitution requires candidates for governor to have resided in the state for at least three years before an election. Kristof, who owns homes in both New York and Oregon, voted in New York in the 2020 election, putting him past the deadline to establish residency in Oregon ahead of the 2022 midterms.

“The rules are the rules and they apply equally to all candidates for office in Oregon. I stand by the determination of the experts in the Oregon Elections Division that Mr. Kristof does not currently meet the Constitutional requirements to run or serve as Oregon Governor,” Secretary of State Shemia Fagan said in a statement.

The decision came just over two weeks after the Elections Division asked Kristof to make his case for eligibility. Lawyers for his campaign noted Kristof’s long-established connections to Oregon and urged Fagan to allow voters to render a decision on his candidacy.

The decision is a huge blow to Kristof who had already managed to out-fundraise his opponents in the time since he announced his candidacy.