Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) is expected to jump into the 2024 fray this week, making the GOP field even more crowded.
A two-term governor, Burgum has maintained a somewhat lower national profile relative to other heavy hitters in the Republican primary, but he is hoping that his track record in North Dakota and a possible voter appetite for something new could boost his chances.
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Burgum grew up in Arthur, North Dakota. His father died when he was 14. An alumnus of North Dakota State University and Stanford University, he mortgaged off his family farm to invest in Great Plains Software, a tech startup that was later sold to Microsoft.
"I ignored those who said North Dakota was too small, too cold, and too remote to build a world-class software company, so I literally bet the farm to help build a tiny startup into a billionaire dollar company with customers in 132 countries," Burgum recalled in a preview video teasing his campaign.
Given his success in the business world, Burgum is poised to enter the race as one of the wealthiest Republicans alongside former President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. He has a net worth of over $1 billion, according to GoBankingRates.
Burgum is no stranger to entering political races as an underdog. In the 2016 election cycle, Burgum was a political newcomer and managed to best Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem in a GOP primary before topping Democratic nominee Marvin Nelson in the general election.
As governor, Burgum championed Republican priorities such as tax cuts, balanced budgets, energy, abortion, and more. One notable objective the governor set for his state is for North Dakota to become carbon-neutral by 2030, distinguishing himself from many Republicans on climate change.
Unlike many Democratic governors, Burgum is seeking to achieve that goal "without a single mandate, without any additional regulation." He has also stood by the use of fossil fuels for energy production and backed the Dakota Access Pipeline, to the dismay of some environmentalists.
Burgum is armed with overwhelming Republican control over both chambers of the state legislature. But he has butted heads with his own party from time to time.
At one point, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Burgum vetoed legislation that would bar North Dakota officials from imposing mask mandates. This seemingly puts him at odds with some of the other 2024 hopefuls in the race, such as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who has railed against mask mandates.
COVID-19 helped elevate a number of Republican governors, particularly DeSantis and Burgum's southern neighbor, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), who previously sparked 2024 buzz but doesn't appear to be jumping into the presidential contest.
Like other Republican governors, Burgum has had to grapple with the culture wars. Although he went along with his party on many of those issues, Burgum appears to be more keen on economic and other domestic politics.
“The amount of time that ... spent on some of that stuff, you’d think it was the only thing happening in our state,” he said, per the Bismarck Tribune. “I talk to real people, creating real jobs, building real companies and hiring people, and some of the things the legislature is focused on is not what the citizens are focused on.”
Still, Burgum has signed off on legislation involving social issues. Back in April, he signed an abortion ban after roughly six weeks of gestation. Earlier this year, he signed a law permitting government officials to ignore the preferred pronouns of their peers. In November 2021, Burgum greenlighted legislation restricting instruction of critical race theory in K-12 schools.
When touting his record, Burgum harped more on his economic achievements than the cultural issues.
"As governor, we cut red tape and took North Dakota from billions in the hole to a surplus. We balanced the budget every year and we did it all while passing the largest tax cuts in North Dakota history," Burgum proclaimed in his teaser video.
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Burgum was off many news outlets' political radars during discussions of the 2024 election contest until he began teasing that he was mulling a run several weeks ago. He is expected to announce his 2024 plans Wednesday from Fargo, North Dakota.
From there, Burgum is set to swing through Iowa on Thursday and Friday, with plans to visit New Hampshire on Saturday and Sunday, Fox News reported.