Kari Chisholm is an American political consultant and sports commentator based in Portland, Oregon. He became known for commentary on the Heisman Trophy, and his now-defunct site StiffArmTrophy.com correctly predicted the winner of the trophy every year from 2002 to 2012. He is the founder and publisher of BlueOregon, at one time the state's most widely-read political blog, but no longer updated as of 2020.
He worked on Darlene Hooley's first Congressional campaign in 1996 and managed David Bragdon's campaign for the Metro Council in 1998. From 1999 to 2001, Chisholm was the volunteer board chair of X-PAC, a 1000-member nonpartisan 5013 nonprofit organization that sought to build a new generation of political leaders and community activists in Oregon. He is also the former creative director for new media for Lewis & Clark College and is a member of the National Writers Union–UAW Local 1981/AFL-CIO. Chisholm is the president of Mandate Media, an Internet web site development and political consulting company whose Democratic clients have included U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Max Baucus; U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen, Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader, and Bill Foster; Governors Ted Kulongoski, John Kitzhaber, Ted Strickland; and others. He is the publisher of BlueOregon, a prominent progressive political blog in Oregon frequently cited in articles on Oregon politics by The Oregonian, the state's largest newspaper. He was also the longest-running weekly guest on Portland talk radio stationKPOJ, during its eight-year run as a progressive talk station. When KPOJ transitioned to a sports talk format, Chisholm led the "Save KPOJ" movement.
College football commentary
Chisholm is known as a leading commentator on the Heisman Trophy, the award given annually to the most outstanding college football player. On his site, Stiff Arm Trophy, Chisholm has correctly projected the winner of each Heisman contest since 2002. As of 2013, his streak of accurate selection stands at twelve. Chisholm's projections have been referenced on ESPN and in Sports Illustrated, and regional and local sports media.
Personal life
He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Carrie Wynkoop, and their son, Jake.
