Doug Burgum Enters 2024 Presidential Race

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, in what many have suspected for over a month, has announced his bid to become GOP Nominee for the 2024 presidential race.

With the announcement, the former software CEO and current governor becomes the 12th Republican candidate on the list.

Burgum's teaser video released on Monday showed painted him as a small town kid who grew up with very little, to become a self made billionaire, and North Dakota's choice to lead the state amid the oil boom decline in 2016

Great Plains Software was started by Burgum in 1983, and Microsoft eventually purchased it in 2001. Burgum stayed involved with the business until 2007.

Burgum founded the real estate development-focused Kibourne Group in 2006 after Great Plains Software. In 2008, he co-founded the investment company Arthurs Ventures.

Burgum successfully ran against the North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem who was the Republican Party's endorsed candidate in the 2016 gubernatorial primary and handily won the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Burgum is attempting to appeal to the "silent majority" in the country who don't sit on the extremes of any issue. A notion that has become seemingly less relevant over the last two election cycles.

Burgum jumps into the fray of an already crowded field, which includes former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a small-town conservative focused on issues such as jobs, the economy and national security, while shrinking the government.

Burgum, who is seen largely as a moderate conservative, has not been right enough on the political spectrum for many even in his own state, often being labeled as a Republican In Name Only (Rino).

After announcing his campaign, Burgum is anticipated to travel to Iowa and New Hampshire, which will hold Republicans' first two nominating contests early next year.

What platform is Burgum running on?

During his address, Governor Burgum noted on the top issues that he will be running on, most of them were listed on his campaign website which can be found below. However, one item that was a through line as he was spelling out his platform but not listed explicitly is his promise to repeal much if not all of what the Biden Administration has been attempting to achieve.

Here is the platform as listed on the Burgum For America campaign website:

Economy

The economy needs to be the absolute top priority. It’s the main thing. A strong American economy propels everything else and is the key to unlocking the best of America.

Innovation has always been America’s best weapon. Innovation over regulation is how you solve the challenges we face today. Regulation looks backward and innovation looks towards the future. It’s provided an opportunity for a better life to Americans willing to reach for it. All that is now at risk.

Doug will get inflation under control, cut taxes, lower gas prices, reduce the cost of living and help people realize their fullest potential.

Energy

A key reason we need to empower American innovation is to dramatically increase energy production. Energy has to be our second priority.

Doug knows we need to stop buying energy from our enemies and start selling energy to our friends and allies. America produces energy cleaner and safer than anywhere else in the world. When America becomes truly energy independent and supports our allies we prevent wars like Putin started in Ukraine. We stabilize the globe and restore America as the leader of the free world.

As the governor of one of the largest energy producing states in America and a business leader who built a software company that served 140,000 different businesses in 132 countries, Doug understands the future is going to be won at the intersection of innovation and energy.

National Security

Doug believes we need to recognize the real threats to America and strengthen national security.

Our enemies aren’t our neighbors down the street. Our enemies are countries that want to see our way of life destroyed. In a country built on neighbors helping neighbors, we’ve become a country of neighbors fighting neighbors.

We should be fighting to unite the country against our common enemies like China and Putin.

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