North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announces a truly long-shot presidential bid

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has almost no national profile. But as he launched his longshot presidential campaign on Wednesday, he embraced his small-town roots.

"It shouldn't be a surprise that small-town values have guided me my entire life; small-town values are at the core of America," he said at an event in his home state announcing his campaign. "And frankly, big cities could use more ideas and more values from small towns right now."

He called the economy the “absolute top priority” for America.

"Right now, the world, our economy are both changing rapidly, and how we respond will define our future,” Burgum said. “We need new leadership for the changing economy."

Relatively unknown nationally, Burgum has embraced a number of conservative policies in his state recently, signing legislation banning abortion at six weeks of pregnancy — even in cases of rape or incest — and blocking transgender women and girls from competing in sports.

However, he opted to veto a law that would prevent educators from calling transgender students by their preferred pronouns, saying, “The teaching profession is challenging enough without the heavy hand of state government forcing teachers to take on the role of pronoun police.”

A North Dakota native, Burgum previously worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. He later founded Great Plains Software, a tech company that was eventually acquired by Microsoft.

He first assumed his current office in 2016, winning an easy victory against the Democratic and Libertarian candidates. His current term, which began in 2020, is set to end in December 2024.

“Let's get back to common sense," Burgum said on Wednesday. "Let's eliminate red tape, get inflation under control and cut taxes, reduce the cost of living, and help every American realize their fullest potential."

Burgum also took a swipe at President Joe Biden by stating that the current president “has got to go.”

"And we all know Joe Biden isn't getting the job done and too often is making things worse. Gas prices are too high, and the Biden administration enacts policies that make us more dependent on foreign oil."

Burgum endorsed former President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. But now he’ll face off against him and several others in the crowded Republican field. According to the Washington Post, Burgum has already begun filming campaign ads.