North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum seriously considering bid for 2024 GOP presidential nod

By Kristen Holmes and David Chalian, CNN

(CNN) — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is seriously mulling a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, a source with knowledge of his plans told CNN.

A Republican familiar with Burgum’s thinking said the governor will make a final decision in the next two to three weeks.

Burgum suggested earlier this month that he was considering a run, telling a North Dakota newspaper that he was thinking about 2024 and that there was a hunger for an alternative candidate.

“All the engagement right now is occurring on the edge,” he told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. “There’s definitely a yearning for some alternatives right now.”

Should Burgum enter the GOP primary field, he would do so with considerably less national name recognition than many of his potential rivals. Burgum has a conservative track record as governor, signing a bill this year that bans gender-affirming care for most minors and enacting a near total-ban on abortions in the state.

Burgum told The Forum that he sees value in being underestimated, calling it a “competitive advantage.”

A former Microsoft executive, Burgum is currently serving his second term as North Dakota governor. State voters approved a constitutional measure last fall that prohibits governors from serving more than two terms. But Burgum would be eligible to run for a third term next year because a governor’s service before January 1, 2023, does not count against the new limits.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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CNN’s Shania Shelton contributed to this report.