Speaker of the House Tina Kotek announced she will resign from the Oregon Legislature January 21 to focus on her campaign for governor.

Kotek’s resignation allows her to avoid a House rule prohibiting representatives from fundraising during any legislative session.

The state Elections Division found a potential rival, Nicolas Kristof, is not eligible to run for governor.

Kristof, originally from Oregon, worked at the New York Times from 1984 to October 2021, when he returned to Oregon to start his campaign.

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan explained the Elections Division found Kristof’s tax payments, residency, and voting records were from New York for the past 20 years, with zero evidence of Kristof voting in an Oregon election during the same time frame.