June 10, 2023

"He grew up in a small town in North Dakota and mortgaged a piece of farmland he inherited from his dad in order to invest in a company called Great Plains Software."

"He eventually became its CEO and sold it to Microsoft for $1.1 billion. But when he announced he was running for governor in 2016, most people still didn’t know who he was. But he wound up defeating the sitting attorney general 59 percent to 39 percent in the Republican primary. So he has experience winning primaries he wasn’t supposed to win.... His net worth is more than $1 billion, and he’s reportedly willing to self-fund his campaign...."


33 comments:

RMc said...

And he ain't never been indicted or nothin'!

tim in vermont said...

No outsiders allowed. Can't be trusted to be on the side of the billionaires. Only people who go through a vetting process, which mainly consists of being show amenable to corruption, because billionaires are swimming in ready money, are allowed to run.

Dave Begley said...

Say “no” to the Nodak.

Big Mike said...

Why do you care, Althouse? You hate Republicans. You’ve written that repeatedly in your posts. You’ve convinced yourself that we’re racists, sexists, homophobic, Islamaphobic, and who knows what else. You have no interest in voting for Burgum, Pence, DeSantis, Haley, or Trump, or anyone else with a (R) after his or her name. You’ve convinced yourself that we’re your enemy.

And that makes you ours.

But just remember, when the rioting mob comes to burn down Madison, including your house with you and Meade on it, there won’t be any Republicans in that mob.

Curious George said...

I sold Great Plains Software and went to training for it in Fargo in January. Never felt so cold in my life. On the way out I though if we crash on takeoff at least for a brief time to explosion would warm me up.

But the GP employees loved Fargo, and working for the company. I mean loved it. A true success story.

mezzrow said...

He's a man who thinks he sees an opportunity and has a bias toward action. It got him to where he is today.

He sees something I don't see, but he's a billionaire and I'm not. I bet his people sit around and talk about Jimmy Carter in 1976. We'll see...

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Now all we get are billionaire - ruling us.

SAd.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

He's a billionaire?

oooo - where do I send my check?

Kai Akker said...

Read like very typical horserace analysis to me. But Burgum certainly has a chance; the mood for something new is ferocious.

This part did not make sense to me.

"But then, of course, Burgum has to find a way to take down Trump. And given how popular Trump is in the party, that’s just going to be really hard."

I do not hear any desire for Trump in my daily doings. Other than Drago, that is. Trump's engine just threw a rod and Ronald Rodham has yet to gain serious traction. Can Trump recover from all the dirty politics? I doubt it; he's too old, too much drama, I think his time has passed. His personnel choices turned out terribly and he clearly is not a great judge of humans, especially when they have motivations that carry beyond pleasing him.

Unless the Democrats fall to Kamala by default, there are going to be two new names on the ballot in 2024 and, at this early point, Burgum could certainly be one of them, IMO. Anything new has some automatic appeal!

hawkeyedjb said...

Dave Begley said...
Say “no” to the Nodak.

Or just the Dak. One of Doug's projects, back when he was just a software dude, was to have the state's name changed to "Dakota." Some employees even got him a phony license plate using the new and improved name.

Ann Althouse said...

From his Wikipedia entry:

"Burgum was born on August 1, 1956, in Arthur, North Dakota, where his grandfather had founded a grain elevator in 1906.[6] He is the son of Katherine (Kilbourne) and Joseph Boyd Burgum.[7] He attended North Dakota State University (NDSU) to earn his undergraduate degree in 1978. During his senior year at NDSU, he applied to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also started a chimney-sweeping business. "The newspaper wrote a story about me as a chimney sweep", he later recalled; it "ran a photo of me sitting on top of an icy chimney in below-freezing weather in Fargo. The story made the AP wire service. I was later told it caused quite a stir in the Stanford admissions office: 'Hey, there's a chimney sweep from North Dakota who's applied.'""

He went to Stanford...

"Following his graduation from Stanford GSB, Burgum moved to Chicago to become a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Soon afterward he mortgaged $250,000 of farmland to provide the seed capital for accounting software company Great Plains Software in Fargo, North Dakota. He joined the company in 1983 and became its president in 1984 after leading a small investment group composed of family members in buying out the rest of the company.... Burgum grew the company to about 250 employees by 1989 and led the company to about $300 million in annual sales and a 1997 IPO, after using the Internet to help it expand beyond North Dakota. In 2001 he sold Great Plains Software to Microsoft for $1.1 billion. Burgum has said he built the company in Fargo because of its proximity to North Dakota State University, in order to employ its stream of engineering students. After the sale, Burgum was named Senior Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions Group...He stayed with Microsoft until 2007 and was responsible for making enterprise apps a priority for Microsoft during this tenure. Satya Nadella, current CEO of Microsoft, has credited Burgum with "inspiring him to find the soul of Microsoft"...."

He must be powerfully inspirational.

I am betting on the dark horse Doug Burgum.

mccullough said...

People hate Microsoft.

People hate Stanford.

This guy is going nowhere.

Curious George said...

"I am betting on the dark horse Doug Burgum."

Cruel Neutrality RIP

Bob Boyd said...

Stanford?
An MBA?
Microsoft?

3 huge red flags.

Narayanan said...

and he’s reportedly willing to self-fund his campaign
=================
has he learned nothing from what happened to another 'self-funded' campaigner who won?

mikee said...

If you want a technocrat leading the government, may as well be a competent one.

WK said...

Well, if he was once a chimney sweep he’s lucky. As lucky can be.

Jim Gust said...

There's a Ross Perot vibe to this. I don't know how it can be sustained, I don't see how Burgum breaks to the top of Republican awareness, but never say never.

Kate said...

At this point I'll give anyone a look-see.

William said...

He sounds like an accomplished and worthy man, but further research must be done. I'd like to know his thoughts on trans-gendered bathrooms. This is the big issue facing our country.

Sheridan said...

Stanford, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft - all working to destroy the culture, history and exceptionalism of the US. Burgum is no "dark horse". He's an oligarch. "...the soul of Microsoft"? Does he hang-out with and/or support in any way Bill Gates? If yes, show-stopper.

Political Junkie said...

Doug for the win!
Will he keep it Dougee Fresh?

Anna Keppa said...

Althouse:

"[Burgum] must be powerfully inspirational."

So was Elizabeth Holmes.

Gospace said...

A businessman. With a history of success. Sounds familiar. Except in ND, not NY. So less drama.

Bet there's lot's of drama if he starts shooting up in the polls. No matter how much of it has to be manufactured from thin air.

rcocean said...

He's "Pretty conservative" says the liberal/leftists at 538. LOL! He vetoed a ban on transg's playing on sports teams. That's Not "Conservative" at all. Its obvious the guy is your typical liberal/left rich guy globalist who is as "Conservative" as he's forced to be. And will immediately swing to the left when the election is over.

Again, the fact that all these liberal/left commentators think he's a "reasonable conservative" means he's just Mitt Romney with a N.D. accent, dontcha know?

Free Manure While You Wait! said...

"But just remember, when the rioting mob comes to burn down Madison, including your house with you and Meade on it, there won’t be any Republicans in that mob."

Other than during the Civil War (sorry Atlanta), have Republicans ever burned and looted a city in America? Even one? Certainly not in my lifetime.

Free Manure While You Wait! said...

"Hunter Biden's tax payer funded Hooker said...
Now all we get are billionaire - ruling us.

SAd."

It's why they own the newspapers now.

Free Manure While You Wait! said...

"I'd like to know his thoughts on trans-gendered bathrooms."

I realized just how disproportionately politicized this issue was when I asked the Google how many minors in America receive transition surgery. In 2021, the last year stats are available, it was 465. Evenly distributed amongst the States, that's 9.3 kids per state.

I then asked the Google how many kids were shot and killed in Illinois during 2021. Turns out it was more than 9.3 by a significant margin.

Bunkypotatohead said...

I can't imagine why any Republican thinks he has a chance of winning the next presidential election. The only one with a significant fan base is Trump, and Biden will have him in prison by November 2024.

DanTheMan said...

>>I am betting on the dark horse Doug Burgum.

As I recall, Ann thought Kamala Harris would be the D nominee.

Predictions are hard. Especially about the future. :)

Ann Althouse said...

"As I recall, Ann thought Kamala Harris would be the D nominee. Predictions are hard...."

The word "betting" implies odds, especially with "dark horse." If I win, I win big. It's not really a "prediction" as it is a statement that I want it to be known that I said Burgum early in the game.

With Harris, I don't remember what I said. Do you? She seemed to be the odds-on favorite at one point and it seemed that the media was pushing her over all others. I think I was observing that. I don't think I ever said I "bet" on her.

Ann Althouse said...

See my post from 12/30/2018: "I'm tracking what I believe is the NYT's obvious selection for the 2020 Democratic Party nominee for President — Kamala Harris/I started yesterday, blogged here, with my new tag 'NYT pushes Kamala.'"

DanTheMan said...

I recall a post where you listed all the factors that would make her an obvious choice... but no, I don't recall you placing a bet on her. :)

Of course, I thought, like many, that Trump running was a publicity stunt. Ooops...