(Reuters) – North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum plans to run in the 2024 presidential election and join a growing field of candidates hoping to overthrow Donald Trump and secure the Republican nomination, according to one with his person familiar with plans.
Burgum, who is serving his second term as the sparsely populated state’s top official, is expected to start his campaign on June 7 with an announcement in Fargo, the state capital, the person said. The governor’s office declined to comment.
Burgum, 66, built a successful software company before selling it to Microsoft Corp. in 2001. sold. A proponent of lower taxes and fewer regulations, he is likely to try to portray himself as a traditional conservative focused on the economy and national security, people familiar with his plans said.
Jeanette Hoffman, a Republican policy adviser, described Burgum as a beacon of hope for the nomination, but said he has a compelling personal history and embodies a steady hand who can appeal to those tired of Trump’s chaos.
“Right now, Republican primary voters are like, ‘Who?'” she said. “But that could be an open field and he has a story to tell.”
A growing field of Republicans is vying for a chance to run against President Joe Biden, who is expected to win the Democratic second-term nomination but is said to be vulnerable amid economic headwinds and low approval ratings.
Reuters/Ipsos polls conducted May 9-15 showed Trump’s support from 49% of Republicans, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a distant second at 19%. The poll found them trailing former Vice President Mike Pence at 5% and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at 4%.
Burgum easily won re-election in 2020 with more than two-thirds of the vote. Last month he signed into law one of the toughest anti-abortion laws in the country, joining a Conservative push to limit access to the procedure in many states. He also signed the largest income tax cut in state history.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut and Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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