Governor Burgum announces he will not seek a third term
Doug Burgum will not be seeking a third term as governor of North Dakota. He made the announcement at a press conference on Monday.
The Republican was elected as the 33rd Governor of North Dakota in 2016 when he defeated Wayne Stenehjem in the primary election to claim the nomination. He then faced Democrat Marvin Nelson and Libertarian Marty Riske in the November general election and won with over 75 percent of the vote.
He would win re-election in 2020 when he defeated Democrat Shelley Lenz and Libertarian DuWayne Hendrickson in the general election when he had nearly 66 percent of the vote.
In March of 2023, Burgum expressed interest in running for president in the 2024 election. He made the announcement in June, but by December, he had suspended his campaign.
Burgum said in a press conference Monday that his reason for not seeking re-election as governor was family oriented. “Our youngest was a senior in high school when I was running for office in 2016, now he is 25. And my daughter pointed out ‘hey dad I turned 21, I’ll be 29 after two terms. So when the kids aren’t living here in Bismarck, it is one of the sacrifices when you serve family also serves. Its like the military its like anything else. So I’m looking forward to that.”
The Arthur, North Dakota native, who will be 68 later this year, has been campaigning for former President Donald Trump who has stated that he would like to have Burgum part of his cabinet if re-elected. Burgum said that had no bearing on his decision not to seek a third term as governor.
Burgum says he still has a lot to do as Governor, but once his term is up he has options. “There is gigantic opportunities in the private sector where I have spent a lot of time and just like in this job, you do it right in the private sector, creating great jobs and having a big impact,” Burgum continues, “I think impact is going to be what drives the decisions I make in the future, wherever that path may be, its going to be wherever I can have the biggest impact.”