Former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is running for governor of Oregon

• Former New York Times columnist Nick Kristof is running for governor of Oregon.
• The 62-year-old left the paper earlier in October while considering a run for office.

Former New York Times columnist Nick Kristof is running for governor of Oregon, the 62-year-old tweeted on Wednesday.

"I've never run for political office in my life," he said in a campaign ad posted to YouTube. "But I have spent a lifetime shining a light in the darkest corners of the globe," he said of his journalism career.

Kristof, who grew up on a farm in Oregon, had been on leave from the Times since June as he weighed a run for office, the paper reported earlier in October. He officially left in October.

Kristof, a 37-year veteran at the Times, worked as a reporter, editor, and columnist, and won two Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure.