LACONIA, New Hampshire — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum spoke to Fox News Digital in New Hampshire Monday about why voters in the Granite State are so important to the political process of choosing a president.
“The thing that’s great about New Hampshire voters is they’re so sophisticated,” Burgum said at a rally in support of former President Trump. “I mean, it’s not just that they’re, you know, watching cable news. I mean, they’re reading stories.
“They’re on the ground. They understand the issues. They understand the differences, because everybody over the years has campaigned here in both parties. They’re close to the big media markets like Boston. They see what’s going on.”
Burgum said he and his wife Catherine have been traveling around New Hampshire to “coffee shops, retail locations and town halls,” and he has seen an impressive level of sophistication from residents “young and old.”
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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (Fox Digital/Paul Steinhauser)
“America needs to understand how seriously voters in the two places, Iowa and New Hampshire, take this process and when they send a signal. It’s not because they got influenced by, you know, being barraged by mailers or TV ads,” Burgum said. “These are people that have met every candidate, and I respect that. I respect Iowa and New Hampshire voters so much, and I’m telling you, they’re going to send a message to the world tomorrow.”
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Burgum was in New Hampshire campaigning for former Trump, who he ran against earlier in the GOP primary before dropping out and endorsing Trump. Fox News Digital asked Burgum, who recently announced he will not run for a third term as governor, if he has aspirations of a position in the Trump administration, possibly as vice president.
Former President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, right, listens as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during a “commit to caucus rally” in Indianola, Iowa, Jan. 14, 2024. (Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images)
“What pundits say about picking cabinets and picking people to serve in the Trump administration, that’s great fodder for news, but it’s not even relevant,” Burgum said. “Our job right now as Republicans is to make sure that President Trump wins the nomination.”
Burgum explained that “we’ve got to go win a big battle against Joe Biden and the Democrats in the fall.“
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“That’s where the focus for everybody should be and certainly for myself. I didn’t run for president to become a cabinet official,” Burgum said. “I didn’t run for president to become part of someone’s administration. I spent my life in the private sector, and I’ve got 100 opportunities back in the private sector.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX Business and Univision Sept. 27, 2023, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
“And, so, you know, speculation is interesting, but it’s not really relevant right now. Those are all hypotheticals, and that question can be answered perhaps after President Trump gets re-elected next November, which is what we have to focus on.”