Burgum has come close to launching a presidential campaign, and last week Fox News was the first to report that the governor was shooting television ads in preparation for a run at the White House. And in recent weeks, Burgum had also begun working with political consultants with presidential campaign experience.<\/p>\n
And Burgum earlier this spring took a trip to Iowa, the state leading the GOP presidential nominating schedule.<\/p>\n
THIS GOVERNOR IS MOVING TOWARDS LAUNCHING A 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN<\/strong><\/p>\n North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum speaks at the state Capitol on April 10, 2020 in Bismarck, North Dakota.<\/span> (Mike McCleary\/The Bismarck Tribune via AP, File)<\/span><\/p>\n The governor, who is not well known outside of North Dakota, would be considered a dark-horse candidate in a field of actual and expected 2024 GOP presidential candidates with much higher name recognition, including current clear frontrunner Ex-Pres. Trump, Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.<\/p>\n WHO’S IN AND WHO’S ON THE LINE: YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE<\/strong><\/p>\n But Burgum would enter the 2024 presidential race as one of the richest members of the Republican camp along with billionaire businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and Trump.<\/p>\n Burgum grew his small company, Great Plains Software, into a billion dollar software company. His business, and its North Dakota-based workers, were eventually acquired by Microsoft, and Burgum stayed on board as a senior vice president.<\/p>\n In 2016, the then-first-time candidate and longshot convincingly beat an establishment GOP favorite to secure the Republican nomination in North Dakota before going on to a landslide victory in the general election for governor in the solid red state. Burgum was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2020 to a second term as governor.<\/p>\n Fargo, where Burgum is expected to make his announcement, is close to his small hometown of Arthur, and sources with knowledge of the governor’s thinking say he’s “emphasizing that a theme of the campaign is that he’s the only candidate of a small-town heartland. and Americans want more values \u200b\u200bfrom small towns. One of their greatest perceived weaknesses is actually their best virtue.”<\/p>\n North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum delivers the annual State of the State address on February 16, 2022 in Fargo, North Dakota.<\/span> (Stephen Yang\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n They also point out that Fargo is also where Burgum built Great Plains Software, and that as governor he has helped rebuild North Dakota’s largest city into an urban area that has been ranked as one of the best places for young people .<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/640\/320\/Screenshot-2023-05-26-091243.png?ve=1&tl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"Doug](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/640\/320\/GettyImages-Doug-Burgum.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n