Republican Governor of North Dakota confirmed as possible running mate for former president Trump, calling attention to his ever-changing stances.
A Surprising Pick
Gov. Doug Burgum, the Republican Governor of North Dakota may not be well known on the national-stage, but he has recently been announced as a top choice for Trump’s vice presidential running mate.
The Business Man
Gov. Doug Burgum has been known to use his software entrepreneurship and wealth to run North Dakota the way a CEO would.
Tax Cuts and Tech Upgrades
Burgum has shown vocal support for business-oriented legislation, including income tax cuts and technology upgrades for the state government. He also has pushed for stronger cybersecurity for all state websites.
Staying Quiet on Social Issues
As loud as he is about his business-focused ambitions, he has kept near silent on many social issues.
Inconsistency Shows
Last year, the Republican dominated state Legislature sent Gov. Doug Burgum a hefty pile of anti-LGBTQ+ bills to sign, and his track record has not been consistent. He vetoed some of the bills in both 2021 and 2023, but eventually circled back to sign them after he announced he wanted to run for president in the upcoming 2024 election.
North Dakota Native
Burgum is a 67 year old North Dakota native, born and raised in a small town. He left his home town after college and led Great Plains Software which was later acquired by Microsoft for a whopping $1.1 billion back in 2001.
A Look at his Past
He stayed on as a vice president with Microsoft for the next 6 years before moving on to leading other real-estate development and venture capital businesses. Before his surprising bid for governor in 2016, Burgum was mainly known only as a wealthy software executive and businessman.
Quest for Reinvention
In the 2016 election, Burgum beat the longtime attorney general in the primary, running on “reinventing” the state government that was currently battling a $1 billion revenue gap.
Business Man in Office
During his time as governor, Burgum focused almost entirely on acting as a business leader, and governed with the same goal.
Taxpayers, or Customers?
He has been quoted talking about “treating taxpayers like customers” and has even brought some of his former Microsoft veterans and various other private sector bigwigs into the state government.
The Legislative Focus
He has thrown his support behind specific legislation, including income tax cuts, strengthening cybersecurity, updating state-run websites, and cutting back state regulations on higher education and animal agriculture.
Innovation Over Regulation
Burgum is also known to harp on carbon capture, and is very interested in energy policies. He is quite proud of North Dakota’s “geologic jackpot” to store carbon dioxide, and believes in “innovation over regulation”.
Gets the Job Done
Staffers in his offers and other people who have witnessed him at works say that he is very inquisitive, and will work until the job gets done.
Disappointment on Both Sides of the Aisle
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have voiced disappointment over Burgum’s swift shift against the LGBTQ+ community and the bills he previously vetoed but signed in 2023.
Critics Speak Up
Critics say that it was quite clear he did this before announcing his presidential bid back in June 2023 after the legislative session was complete.
Legislative Switch-a-Roo
Burgum had vetoed a bill back in 2023 that would ban transgender girls from public schools’ girl sports, and he also vetoed a bill that effectively make teachers “pronoun police”.
Cracking Down
But in 2023, Burgum signed a flurry of bills restricting the rights of transgender people and banned gender-affirming medical care for minors along with two other bills banning their participation in sports. Burgum also signed a bill focused on banning LGBTQ+ literature, but eventually vetoed a more aggressive version.
Limiting Abortion
As governor, he also signed a bill that changed abortion laws in North Dakota after the U.S. Supreme Court ended Roe vs. Wade. As a result, North Dakota now has one of the strictest abortion ban in the country.
Stepping Down
Interestingly enough, Burgum himself has not been vocal about his opinions on LGBTQ+ issues or abortion. After failing to gain the traction he wanted for his presidential bid, Burgum ended his campaign while also announcing he would not seek another term as governor.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Evan El-Amin.
