Just one month after calling off his own tenuous run for the Republican nomination, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum lent his support to Donald Trump's reelection campaign on Sunday, in advance of the Iowa caucuses.
Burgum gushed over Trump while sharing the stage with the former president at an Indianola event.
I've had the chance to be right there," Burgum remarked. I've witnessed President Trump's accomplishments firsthand. It's something I've witnessed in my roles as a governor and a corporate leader. President Trump can make a difference, and I've seen it firsthand.
According to surveys, Trump is expected to win Monday's caucuses, so Burgum's support won't matter much. He failed to establish a large base during his own presidential campaign. While Trump's surviving opponents work to rally support against him, this just serves to heighten the feeling of doom that surrounds his candidacy.
After Burgum withdrew from the campaign, he put the blame on the rigorous criteria set by the Republican National Committee to be eligible for the debates. In an innovative fundraising move, he offered $20 gift cards for $1 in order to artificially inflate his supporter count, allowing him to qualify for the first two GOP debates
More contributors were needed to set the stage for subsequent arguments, and he was unable to keep up. He hurt his Achilles tendon playing basketball with his aides the night before the first debate, and he almost didn't make it.
The majority of the money for Burgum's campaign came from his own pocket. He was well-known as the CEO of Great Plains Software, a software company that Microsoft bought for more than $1 billion in 2001, before he became governor.
Prior to 2007, Burgum continued in his role as an executive at Microsoft. He's been at the helm of several venture capital and real estate firms. He has not yet declared his intention to seek reelection, although he will be entitled to do so in 2024, after serving two terms as governor.