N.D. governor ends GOP presidential bid

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ended his long-shot presidential campaign on Monday, blaming his inability to resonate in the race on the Republican National Committee’s strict requirements to qualify for the debate stage.

The second-term governor and wealthy software entrepreneur dropped his bid just hours before the RNC was to release the list of candidates who had met the polling and donor qualifications for the fourth debate, being held Wednesday in Alabama. He also failed to qualify for the third debate last month.

He blamed the RNC, which sets qualifications for the debates, for “nationalizing the primary process and taking the power of democracy away from the engaged, thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire.”

“It is not their mission to reduce competition and restrict fresh ideas by ‘narrowing the field’ months before the Iowa caucuses or the first in the nation New Hampshire primary,” Burgum wrote in his statement announcing his departure. “These arbitrary criteria ensure advantages for candidates from major media markets on the coasts versus America’s Heartland. None of their debate criteria relate to the qualifications related to actually doing the job of the president.”

Burgum was little known nationally when he launched his 2024 presidential campaign in June, touting his priorities of energy, the economy and national security, as well as his small-town roots and leadership of the sparsely populated state.

He participated in the first two Republican debates, meeting donor requirements of the Republican National Committee by offering $20 Biden Relief Cards in exchange for $1 donations. The tactic drew skepticism over its legality, though Burgum’s campaign said its legal advisers had reviewed and approved the method.

Ultimately, he was unable to gain much traction against his rivals in a contest dominated by former President Donald Trump.