(Reuters) – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum plans to enter the 2024 presidential race, joining a growing field of candidates hoping to topple Donald Trump and secure the Republican nomination, according to a person familiar with his plans.
Burgum, who is serving his second term as the sparsely populated state’s top official, is expected to launch his campaign with an announcement on June 7 in the state capital, Fargo, the person said. The governor’s office declined to comment.
Burgum, 66, built a successful software business before selling it to Microsoft Corp. in 2001. A supporter of low taxes and little regulation, he would likely want to portray himself as a traditional conservative who would focus on the economy and national security, the person familiar with his plans said.
Jeanette Hoffman, a Republican political consultant, described Bergum as a long shot for the nomination, but said she had a compelling personal story and represented a steady hand that would help people weary of Trump’s chaos. can appeal.
“Right now, GOP primary voters like ‘Who?’ As it is,” she said. “But it could be an open field and he has a story to tell.”
An expanding field of Republicans is vying to give President Joe Biden a chance, who is expected to win the Democratic nomination for a second term but is seen as vulnerable amid economic headwinds and low approval ratings.
Reuters/Ipsos polling conducted May 9–15 showed Trump has the support of 49% of Republicans, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in second place with 19%. He was followed by former Vice President Mike Pence at 5% and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley at 4%, the poll showed.
Bergum easily won re-election in 2020 with over two-thirds of the vote. Last month he signed one of the nation’s strictest anti-abortion laws, joining a conservative push in several states to limit access to the procedure. He also signed into law the largest income tax cut in state history.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and Jason Lang in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters,
