Another GOP hopeful is out of the 2024 race with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum announcing on Monday that he is suspending his presidential campaign.
Burgum, a wealthy former software executive, failed to qualify for the third Republican debate and struggled to gain much traction with a White House bid fueled by millions of dollars of his own money.
Inbox: Burgum suspends his campaign pic.twitter.com/vXYsUiUCOu
— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) December 4, 2023
“We launched our campaign for President on June 7 clear-eyed about our mission: bring a business leader and proven governor’s voice to the fight for the best of America,” Burgum said in a statement. “We are a nation built on freedom, liberty, and personal responsibility. A nation where neighbors help neighbors, and where innovation, not regulation, lifts us all to reach our highest potential.”
Burgum made waves for offering $20 gift cards in exchange for donations, a strategy which helped the candidate reach the unique-donor threshold for the first two debates, but he failed to qualify for the third one last month amid low polls numbers. Despite the setback, Burgum had vowed that he would stay in the race through the early-voting contests in Iowa and New Hampshire next year. He did not appear to be on track to qualify for the fourth debate this week.
In announcing the suspension of his campaign, Burgum accused the Republican National Committee of espousing “clubhouse debate requirements are nationalizing the primary process and taking the power of democracy away from the engaged, thoughtful citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire.”
Burgum was polling at an average of 1.7% in Iowa and 1.9% in New Hampshire as of mid-November. On the national level, Burgum was hovering at 0.7% in FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls as of Monday, putting him about even with former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
Several other candidates have been performing better, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Former President Donald Trump leads the field as the clear frontrunner at 58.8% support on average.
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As a candidate, Burgum said the economy, energy, and national security were his three top priorities. In his statement on Monday, Burgum emphasized that he will continue to oppose President Joe Biden in his areas of interest.
“We remain committed to improving the lives of every American by moving America 180 degrees in the opposite direction of Joe Biden on three critical issues — the economy, energy and national security,” he said.
Other candidates who have dropped out of the GOP nomination contest include former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, and former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX).