North Dakota has never produced a president, but it helped shape one. Teddy Roosevelt credited his youthful years in the state’s Badlands with forming his character and worldview. You might say, “You mean he built up the drive and determination to escape that hellish place and go live in the Goodlands, right?” No. The Badlands are amazing. If you’ve ever sat on a porch with your morning coffee and watched a buffalo wander past, you know. And if you’re missing big-city life, perhaps the buffalo will move its bowels right there for you. It’s the best of all possible worlds.
NoDak’s streak may change, thanks to the presidential bid by Governor Douglas “Doug” Burgum. (Spoiler: It will not change.) Burgum made a billion dollars in software, then entered politics. He recently announced his presidential bid, whereupon Peter Hamby, a journalist, commented on Twitter: “After discussing this topic with @timodc, he raised a pressing question: If Burgum made billions of dollars, why did he choose to live in . . . North Dakota?”
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