Republican Governor of North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum, has officially announced his candidacy for the United States presidential election on Wednesday. From being a chimney sweep to becoming one of the richest men in the state, Mr. Burgum faces very long odds with an increasingly crowded race.
In an opinion essay in The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Burgum wrote, “We need a new leader for a changing economy” that heavily emphasized his business acumen. He is set to appear at an event in Fargo, N.D. later in the day.
Despite the crowded field, numerous rivals see a path to nomination, indicating that the Republican front-runner, former President Donald J. Trump, has not scared off many challengers. As the leader of his deep-red state, Mr. Burgum, witnessed significant economic expansion and implemented conservative policies.
This year, Mr. Burgum signed a near-total abortion ban into law, created significant restrictions on gender transition care, and banned any requirements for teachers or school administrators to use a student’s preferred pronouns. He is the second sitting governor to enter the race after Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.
Mr. Burgum’s aides say he is planning a campaign less focused on social issues and more on his business background and fiscal stewardship of the state, including local and state tax cuts. He is likely to emphasize the economy, energy, and national security while campaigning, believing the current debate is too focused on social issues and not on voters’ biggest concerns.
His campaign’s confidence that he can rise from a relative unknown to a legitimate candidate derives from his own political career in North Dakota where he endorsed Donald J. Trump for president and received 20-percentage-point victory in the primary.
As the only candidate from the rural Midwest, Mr. Burgum is likely to focus most of his efforts in Iowa, an agricultural state. He started his business career as a chimney sweeper in Fargo during his undergraduate years, later enrolled in Stanford Business School, became chief executive of Great Plains Software, a Fargo company that specialized in accounting software, eventually selling to Microsoft for $1.1 billion. As of the start of his campaign, no super PAC or outside group has emerged supporting Mr. Burgum’s candidacy.
