North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum took another step toward entering the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, posting a YouTube video on Monday touting his rise from a small town boy to a self-made software entrepreneur and a successful governor who has cut red tape and taxes.
Although the video doesn鈥檛 mention it, Burgum has signed several this year that restrict abortion rights and the rights of . One law bans schools and government agencies from requiring their employees to refer to transgender people by the they use. Another law 鈥 among the strictest in the nation 鈥 bans abortions with only slim exceptions up to six weeks鈥 gestation.
Burgum is expected to announce his candidacy on Wednesday at a midday event in Fargo, two GOP operatives who had knowledge of Burgum鈥檚 plans last month. The 66-year-old would enter an increasingly dominated by ex-President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Former Vice President Mike Pence filed paperwork declaring his campaign on Monday.
The 3 1/2-minute video, with breathtaking vistas from across North Dakota, doesn鈥檛 specifically mention the presidential race. But it鈥檚 titled 鈥淎nnouncement Preview: Change.鈥 It promotes Burgum as 鈥渁 new leader for a changing economy.鈥 Without naming any other candidates, it also touches subtly on the that DeSantis has highlighted and the increasing rancor of American politics, suggesting a contrast with Trump.
鈥淚 grew up in a tiny town in North Dakota," Burgum said. "Woke was what you did at 5 a.m. to start the day.鈥
Amid the bitter between Trump and DeSantis, Burgum suggested in the video that he offers an alternative to tumult.
鈥淎nger, yelling, infighting, that's not going to cut it anymore. Let's get things done,鈥 he said. 鈥淚n North Dakota, we listen with respect, and we talk things out. That's how we can get America back on track.鈥
Burgum was first elected in 2016, reelected in 2020 and is eligible to run for governor again in 2024. In 1983, he founded Great Plains Software, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2001, and Burgum stayed on as a Microsoft vice president until 2007. He grew up in Arthur, an eastern North Dakota town of about 300 people, 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Fargo.
The GOP nominee is expected to face Democratic President in November 2024.
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Associated Press reporter Thomas Beaumont contributed to this story from Des Moines, Iowa.
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This story was first published on June 5, 2023. It was updated on June 7, 2023 to correct the year Microsoft acquired Great Plains Software. It was in 2001, not 2011.
