Fargo business man and developer Doug Burgum says he’d be open minded to the possibility of running for North Dakota Governor. He retired in 2007.
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Stenehjem, in office since 2000, said that as recently as Monday morning he had expected Dalrymple to run again.
Burgum says he would have never challenged Dalyrymple, whom he considers a close friend.
Burgum said his family’s friendship with Dalrymple goes back more than 30 years; his late brother, Brad, was Dalrymple’s campaign treasurer during his first legislative race in 1984.
Republicans hold every statewide office except for Heitkamp and some of those names figured prominently in speculation, including lieutenant governor Drew Wrigley and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.
Heitkamp’s future could have national implications because if she runs for governor, Democrats would have to try to defend that seat in a Republican-leaning state. Heitkamp’s brother, KFGO talk show host and former state Sen.
He also said he did not know whether his sister was planning to run, but if she does, “I guarantee you, I won’t stand in her way”, he said. The state’s economy – led by western North Dakota’s booming oil patch – has created thousands of new jobs and North Dakota has one of the country’s lowest unemployment rates at 3 percent.
The Republican served as the state’s lieutenant governor for a decade – as North Dakota’s oil industry and revenues boomed – before moving into the governor’s office in 2010, when then-Gov. He said he hopes progress is also made on moving toward having the state take over funding of county social services.
“Governor Dalrymple has made the state and its individuals his precedence”.
“We really have transformed this state from where it was 20 years ago”, he said.
Addressing these concerns, Dalrymple unilaterally announced previous year the state would push corporations to almost double pipeline capacity in order to curb flaring, an environmental and economic boondoggle. “We will have a great candidate with a great platform in the next election”. Armstrong said he wasn’t surprised by Dalrymple’s announcement, noting the governor had said he’d let his intentions be known in late August or early September.
“It was 100 percent a personal decision about how we want to spend our time down the road”, he said.
“Mikey and I, along with all North Dakotans, are grateful for Jack and Betsy’s service and understand their desire to spend more time with their growing family”.
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“It’s a wonderful feeling to think that I could actually choose what I want to do”, he said.
