‘NONINFLAMMATORY’

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum Set to Enter GOP Presidential Race

The former software entrepreneur hopes to appeal to the “silent majority” left behind by a polarized America.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is reported to be next GOP figure to throw their hat into the ring as a Republican presidential candidate. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the 66-year-old former software entrepreneur will announce his campaign at an event on June 7 in Fargo. It was in Fargo that Burgum started and built up his firm Great Plains Software, which he sold to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001. The Journal said Fargo had been picked “because it is close to his tiny hometown of Arthur and would underscore small-town and economic themes he would emphasize in a campaign.” Burgum, who has little national profile, will be joining an increasingly crowded field—albeit one with a clear frontrunner in Donald Trump. “Known for a casual style and noninflammatory rhetoric, Burgum would stand in stark contrast to Trump,” the Journal said. In a recent interview with the Forum in Fargo, Burgum spoke about a “silent majority” that was not well represented in a polarized America. “All the engagement right now is occurring on the edge,” he said. “There’s definitely a yearning for some alternatives right now.”