North Dakota governor Doug Burgum announced his exit from the 2024 presidential race on Monday after failing to break through in the crowded Republican primary.
“Our leadership and understanding of how the global economy really works has shifted the conversation toward the critical need for America to get its economy sprinting versus crawling, become energy-dominant and win the Cold War with China,” Burgum said in a statement.
The governor was polling at just 0.6 percent, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average.
Burgum, a billionaire who made his riches as a software executive, used his own fortune to fund the long-shot campaign. In July, he announced a plan to give away $20 gift cards to the first 50,000 donors who donated even $1 to his campaign in an effort to meet the requirements to participate in the first GOP primary debate in August. He first offered donors full-size American flags before moving on to the gift-card giveaway.
Burgum’s departure is the latest in a string of recent exits from the race: Senator Tim Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, conservative radio host Larry Elder, and former congressman Will Hurd.
While Burgum failed to garner much attention among potential voters, the governor apparently sparked the interest of some Trump allies, with the Daily Beast previously reporting that he is seen as a potential cabinet pick in a hypothetical second Trump term.
Former president Donald Trump is the frontrunner in the race, polling at 61.1 percent, according to a RealClearPolitics average. Florida governor Ron DeSantis (13.6 percent) and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley (10.2 percent) are locked in a battle for second place.