North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum made an announcement regarding his decision to withdraw from the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race. This decision came after he failed to meet the requirements for the most recent debates.
“The RNC’s clubhouse debate requirements are nationalizing the primary process and taking the power of democracy away from the engaged, thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire,” Burgum stated in condemnation of the regulations preventing him from participating in the recent debates.
Burgum further expressed, “The RNC’s mission is to win elections. It is not their mission to reduce competition and restrict fresh ideas by ‘narrowing the field’ months before the Iowa caucuses or the first in the nation New Hampshire primary. These arbitrary criteria ensure advantages for candidates from major media markets on the coasts versus America’s Heartland.”
Burgum argued that none of the debate criteria are qualifications for serving as president. He emphasized, “This effort to nationalize the primary system is unhealthy for the future of the party, especially for a party that proclaims to value leadership from outside of Washington.”
His announcement follows his previous statement in Des Moines, Iowa, where he declared that he would not suspend his campaign before New Hampshire’s GOP primary on Jan. 23, 2024.
He firmly stated, “We’re going through all the effort to get our name on all 50 state ballots,” expressing his commitment to campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Burgum, 67, who has held the governorship of North Dakota since 2016, consistently lagged behind the other candidates in the polls for the GOP nomination. Former President Donald Trump remains as the frontrunner.
For the last Republican debate in Miami, which Burgum failed to qualify for, candidates were required to meet specific criteria set by the Republican National Committee. This included amassing at least 70,000 unique donors and meeting various minimum polling requirements.
Burgum’s campaign staff discovered this past weekend that he would be withdrawing from the race. He has until the summer of 2024 to announce his intentions to seek re-election as governor of North Dakota as he is eligible for a third term. Currently, there are six remaining candidates in the Republican presidential race.
(This article was originally published on NBCNews.com)
