FARGO — Both of North Dakota’s U.S. senators have endorsed Gov. Doug Burgum’s bid for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
GOP Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer have said they’ll back the governor, with both making their intentions known in national media outlets on Tuesday, June 13. The Forum and WDAY-TV previously reported on the endorsements on the day Burgum announced his candidacy.
While Hoeven wasn’t able to attend Burgum’s official campaign launch in Fargo last Wednesday, he provided a statement to The Forum saying he would back the governor.
“I have known Doug Burgum for a long time. He has been a leader for our state in both the private sector and now as Governor,” Hoeven wrote. “I have already spoken to Doug and he has my endorsement.”
In a May appearance on WDAY radio, Hoeven had hinted he’d back Burgum. His endorsement was reported by POLITICO on Tuesday.
Cramer, who has historically been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, is also backing Burgum’s candidacy. He told WDAY-TV that his support stems from the governor’s success as a businessman and work to make North Dakota a more attractive place to live.
"It's hard not to be in Doug Burgum's corner. I think it's such a great thing for our state. Doug would be a good Republican nominee and be an excellent candidate and an excellent president," Cramer said.
Cramer reiterated his support for Burgum to NBC on Tuesday.
He hinted in a May interview on Forum Communications' Plain Talk Podcast in May that he would support Burgum, but also expressed admiration for Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — who now has the endorsement of both South Dakota's senators.
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With the North Dakota senators’ endorsements, Burgum has two members of Congress backing his campaign. North Dakota’s at-large representative in Congress Kelly Armstrong hasn’t said whether he’d back Burgum’s presidential bid.
A spokesman last week told The Forum that he would have been at the announcement if the House wasn’t in session. Last week Armstrong told Axios that he thought it was “fantastic” the governor was running.
“Him and I will talk,” Armstrong told a reporter for the outlet. “People who sleep on him are doing so at their own peril. He’s been underestimated his whole life.”
Since announcing his campaign last week, Burgum has been working to elevate his national profile through campaign stops in Iowa and New Hampshire with more than $2 million in ads in those states.
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