Gov. Doug Burgum, R-N.D., is now considered one of the top contenders to be selected as former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, according to a bombshell new report.
Burgum, a darkhorse candidate for vice president, dropped out of the Republican presidential primary race in December amid lackluster polling and endorsed Trump on the eve of the Iowa Caucuses.
Following Trump’s resounding victory in the caucuses, the former president said he wanted to have Burgum as a “very important” part of his second administration.
Breitbart News reported on the growing relationship between Trump and Burgum in January, with some in Trump’s orbit discussing the possibility of Burgum as a potential running mate or cabinet member if Trump were to win back the White House.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said that Trump recognized Burgum as cabinet material last summer, and told Politico that Burgum has recently “earned serious consideration” in the vice presidential selection process.
However, Cramer also expressed surprise at Burgum’s rising status among insiders, noting that “a white male from a state with three electoral votes that haven’t gone to a Democrat since LBJ [Lyndon B. Johnson] does not seem to bring a lot of electoral value to the ticket.”
However, Trump stated in January that the vice presidential pick “has never made a difference” in an election’s outcome, emphasizing that voters primarily focus on the presidential candidate.
A source familiar with the Trump campaign reportedly told Politico that Burgum has proven his value to the 2024 ticket as a strong fundraiser since becoming a Trump campaign surrogate. On the night of Trump’s Iowa caucus victory, Burgum flew with him aboard “Trump Force One” to New York, and later recounted on Sirius XM’s Breitbart New Saturday how Trump worked tirelessly during the early morning flight.
When asked directly about being Trump’s running mate, Burgum deflected and emphasized the need to focus on securing the nomination and getting Trump elected, stating that there was still a long way to go before such scenarios could come true.
However, with Trump having secured the nomination and the Republican National Convention rapidly approaching, speculation surrounding potential running mates has intensified.
Other Republicans, including Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and J.D. Vance of Ohio, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York, Dr. Ben Carson, and more, have also been mentioned among the wild media speculation.
In February, Trump confirmed to Fox News’s Laura Ingraham that at least Scott, Ramaswamy, DeSantis, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat turned Independent from Hawaii, were on his list of potential running mates.