The latest entry into the GOP presidential contest, and one that has already qualified for two of the three metrics to participate in the debate in August according to the guidelines set by the Republican National Committee, is North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Very few people outside of the Peace Garden State know anything about him, so this column will give you the best and worst case to make without any thumb on the scale from me, as to what Burgum brings to the table and what you might expect to see and hear from him when he takes the stage with his Republican competitors.
The case for Doug Burgum:
- Burgum is the current governor of North Dakota, serving in his second term. Much of this country’s domestic problems – spending, agencies out of control, immigration, energy, all of it points to the fact that we have someone at the rudder who doesn’t have a clue about how to be a good executive. Being a governor is very much an asset to any candidate. Regardless of the size of the state, executive experience is something that will benefit not only Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Asa Hutchinson, it will benefit Burgum as well.
- He has run successfully as an outsider candidate before – In 2016, the state Republican Party in North Dakota gave their endorsement to the late Wayne Stenehjem, who in 2016 was Attorney General. But a month later in the primary, Burgum came out of nowhere and defeated Stenehjem by 20 points, and crushed his Democratic opponent in the general, earning 75% of the vote.
- Governor Burgum really is the American dream personified. He graduated from college, moved to Chicago to do some consulting in the private sector, then moved back home to North Dakota and had the idea for a software company. He mortgaged the family farm and built Great Plains Software, which would turn him into a billionaire. He built the company in Fargo because of its proximity to North Dakota State University’s endless stream of engineering students. He’s also been committed to much philanthropy work around the state.
- Burgum has had very standard conservative policy positions while serving as governor. He’s cut taxes, been a robust defender of expanding energy exploration and production out of the Bakken region of the state, sent the National Guard to help secure the southern border three times, signed a near-total ban on abortion in the state, and has banned critical race theory being taught.
The case against Doug Burgum for president
- Doug who? Even with his success in politics in North Dakota, this is a very red state with a population of about three-quarters of a million people statewide. It’s a lot easier to get name ID up in a state that small than it is to get name ID in a country of 330 million people split 50-50 on ideology. He’s been clever this far in order to meet the RNC’s debate metrics, handing out $20 gift cards to people who would donate to his campaign. It remains to be seen whether his remarkably normal personality is going to catch on nationally amidst the egos running in the 2024 cycle.
- Foreign policy is very much a question mark. He’s staked out a very hawkish position vis-à-vis China in early interviews, but where he is on geopolitics, and whether he will need a big learning curve on foreign policy if he wins the presidency, will have to be fleshed out on the debate stage in the months to come.
- While he has been a conservative governor on social issues, he believes the next president should shy away from culture war issues. That may very well be the right stance to take with all the problems the country faces, but the electorate may very well not be in the position to have a disinterested president on social issues. A calming voice? Absolutely. Disinterested and disengaged? I’m not sure that’ll work out in the long run.
- North Dakota is a state that has an abundance of natural resources, especially oil and natural gas. Fracking is a big, big thing there, as is oil production. North Dakota is the third-leading state in the union, behind Texas and New Mexico, in producing barrels of oil. Joe Biden and the Democrats have definitely not been good for business after the boom Donald Trump unleashed. One of the questions Burgum is going to have to repeatedly answer is whether he’s really in this race to be president, or if he’s trying to wrangle an Energy Secretary cabinet position out of whoever emerges as the next nominee/president for the Republicans. Burgum supported Donald Trump twice, and was endorsed by Trump twice, but has been mildly critical of late. This tack is not new. Lots of other candidates have gotten in and claimed they were in it to win it, but were more than happy to accept the cabinet position they really wanted in return for an opportune withdrawal and endorsement of the inevitable nominee.
So far, 7 Republicans have met the polling criteria to appear on the GOP debate stage in August – Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Tim Scott.
7 Republicans have met the 40,000 individual donor threshold – Trump, DeSantis, Haley, Scott, Christie, Ramaswamy, and Burgum.
With regards to the pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, the last of the three metrics, only three have committed to do so – Burgum, Scott, and Haley. Every other contender has varied from saying absolutely not, especially if the nominee is Trump, to weasel words to leave wiggle room.
There are now columns in the archives of Hot Air’s VIP section to use as the program guide when the dust settles and the podiums are placed in Milwaukee in August.
