Determining the value of a dollar is a matter of great importance to Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
As a Republican presidential candidate, Burgum is making extraordinary efforts to meet the crucial requirement of having at least 40,000 individual donors in order to qualify for the party’s first primary debate on August 23.
Despite being a long-shot contender at the bottom of recent polls, Burgum is offering $20 gift cards to the first 50,000 people who donate at least $1 to his campaign. Additionally, one fortunate donor will have the chance to win a Yeti Tundra 45 cooler worth more than $300. This unique offer was reported earlier by FWIW, a digital politics newsletter.
Burgum’s emphasis on prioritizing donors over actual funds reflects the desperation among some candidates to secure a place on the debate stage and gain attention away from the Republican front-runner, former President Donald J. Trump, and his main rival, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Another Republican candidate, former Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, recently concluded a campaign ad with a direct plea for donations to help him qualify for the debate stage.
Burgum’s campaign has acknowledged that their requests are directly linked to the debate and have spun the gift card giveaways as a criticism of President Biden.
Lance Trover, a spokesman for the Burgum campaign, stated, “Doug recognizes that people are struggling due to Bidenflation, and giving out Biden Economic Relief Gift Cards is a way to assist 50,000 people until Doug is elected President and can fix this unstable economy for everyone.”
Trover added that their efforts allowed them to secure a debate spot while avoiding additional advertising fees on social media platforms that may have an anti-conservative bias.
Kyle Tharp, the author of the FWIW newsletter, revealed that he donated $1 to the Burgum campaign during his reporting. However, he did not receive any follow-up information about how to claim the gift card. The campaign later clarified on Twitter that 50,000 donors will receive a Visa or Mastercard gift card in the mail.
The campaign has not disclosed the number of donors that have contributed so far.
Paul Ryan, a campaign finance lawyer, raised potential legal concerns regarding the campaign’s strategy of giving gift cards in exchange for donations. He suggests that this may violate the prohibition on straw donations, as donors could be considered as making contributions in the name of others.
According to Richard L. Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, campaigns typically seek guidance from the Federal Election Commission when implementing new forms of donations.
The Burgum campaign’s approach appears to be novel and raises concerns about potential violations of the prohibition on straw donations.
However, some legal uncertainties arise from the fact that campaigns often spend significant amounts of money to attract small donations, especially when trying to meet debate thresholds.
Burgum is not the only candidate leveraging his wealth to support his campaign. Perry Johnson, a businessman vying for the Republican nomination, has spent tens of thousands of dollars on ads promoting $1 hats with the slogan, “I identify as ‘Non-Bidenary.'”
In order to qualify for the first presidential debate, candidates must have a minimum of 200 unique donors per state or territory in at least 20 states and territories, along with at least 1 percent support in multiple national or early-voting state polls recognized by the Republican National Committee.
Reporting contributed by Shane Goldmacher.
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