Burgum on 2024 GOP primary: ‘I don’t think a dozen candidates is too many’

Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, said on Sunday that he doesn’t think a dozen candidates is too many for the 2024 Republican presidential primary field.

“I don’t think a dozen candidates is too many. Competition is great for America. It’s great for any industry, and it’s great for the Republican Party. It’s great for our voters to have to have choices,” Burgum said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Burgum launched his White House bid earlier this month, jumping into a growing GOP primary race that includes former President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others. Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) jumped into the 2024 race just days ago.

As more candidates have piled into the running, some Republicans are increasingly worried that a crowded field could split voters’ support and clear the way for Trump to win the nomination again.

The Peace Garden State governor has touted his experience in the tech sector, his work as governor and his time working “a job where you took a shower in the morning versus one that you took at the end of the day.”

“I mean, having a president who understands what American workers have to do to deal with the inflation, with the high energy costs of the Biden administration, that — that makes a difference,” Burgum said on Sunday.

He also said he has “unique strengths to bring” to the Oval Office, and said he’ll focus on
“the economy, energy and national security.”

“Those are the things that a president should focus on. And that’s what we’ll do when we’re in the White House.”

And asked about a federal abortion ban, Burgum said he believes “strongly that the federal government overreaches in so many different areas.”

Trump has regularly polled as the frontrunner in polling of the GOP primary field — even as he faces a variety of legal battles across the country — with DeSantis typically in second place and most other candidates seeing single-digit support.