Doug Burgum in 2020 ND Governor's race


On Principles & Values: Reinvented state government amid a $1B revenue shortfall

Burgum is a wealthy former software executive who lost the Republican endorsement but won the nomination in his 2016 primary challenge against Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, the endorsed candidate.

Burgum ran in 2016 on a message of "reinventing" state government amid a $1 billion state revenue shortfall from sagging commodity prices, winning 76% of the vote with Brent Sanford, who is lieutenant governor.

Source: Bismarck Tribune on 2020 North Dakota Gubernatorial race Sep 16, 2019

On Free Trade: Supports trade deal with Mexico/Canada

Burgum said in a statement that American producers "are among the world's best and can compete with anyone on a level playing field, and that the USMCA "represents a tremendous opportunity to advance free and fair trade." Mexico and Canada are North Dakota's largest trading partners.
Source: AgWeek on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Jun 20, 2019

On Social Security: Enacted tax break for Social Security recipients

Some Social Security recipients in North Dakota will see a new income tax break under legislation signed by Gov. Doug Burgum. The bill allows singles with a federal adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less, as well as married couples filing jointly making $100,000 or less, to reduce their taxable income by the amount of their Social Security benefits that's taxed under federal law. The tax break is expected to have a $7.3 million hit to state coffers in the 2019-21 budget cycle.
Source: Inforum.com blog on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Apr 30, 2019

On Abortion: Law requires doctors to say some abortions reversible

Burgum signed a bill requiring physicians to inform women that it may be possible to reverse a drug-induced abortion. A Republican lawmaker said it would give a woman "the full information she needs to make her own decision." Burgum echoed that sentiment. "If it gives hope to even one person who has started the process and wants to try to reverse it, it is worth providing that information," he said.
Source: Fargo-Moorhead Forum on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Mar 22, 2019

On Civil Rights: Repeal Sunday morning shopping ban

North Dakota's Republican-led Legislature repealed the nation's toughest Sunday business restrictions--rules that are rooted in religious tradition and that have been in place since statehood. Senators voted 25-21 on the House bill repealing the ban on Sunday morning shopping. Republican Gov. Doug Burgum has supported the repeal and is expected to sign the bill.
Source: Associated Press on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Mar 19, 2019

On Education: Proclaimed North Dakota School Choice Week

As National School Choice Week is celebrated nationwide Jan. 20-26, North Dakotans will also be celebrating North Dakota School Choice Week thanks to a proclamation from Gov. Burgum.

The governor has joined hundreds of state, city, and county leaders nationwide in issuing similar proclamations. More than 40,000 events have been independently planned throughout the country for School Choice Week, including rallies roundtable discussions, breakfast meet-ups, festivals, school fairs, and more.

Source: NewsDakota.com on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Jan 17, 2019

On Free Trade: North American trade deal good for farmers, ranchers

Agriculture can be a volatile industry, so we need to do our best to ensure that our ag producers have as much access as possible to world markets. The USMCA reduces tariff and non-tariff barriers for agricultural markets and increases fairness in the Canadian wheat grading system, improving our ability to work with Canada and Mexico. This increased market access broadens the customer base for our farmers and ranchers, thereby decreasing market volatility.
Source: Fargo-Moorhead Forum on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Dec 19, 2018

On Technology: USMCA trade deal protects intellectual property rights

Innovation flourishes in America because we protect our creators. Copyright laws and intellectual property rights ensure that our creators can commercialize and profit from their ideas as they share them with the world. We often share our innovation with the world, however-- this sharing creates a risk that our ideas will be stolen by bad actors. The USMCA offers protections for our creators, so that they will continue to benefit when they share with other peoples and nations.
Source: Fargo-Moorhead Forum on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Dec 19, 2018

On Free Trade: Supports USMCA trade agreement to replace NAFTA

The USMCA is a new trade pact among the United States, Mexico and Canada, intended as a stronger and modernized replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND): "We're encouraged to hear that negotiators have reached consensus to update our trilateral trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. . We're grateful to the administration for its continued efforts to expeditiously negotiate free and fair trade agreements that benefit American producers and consumers."

Source: White House press release in 2020 North Dakota Governor race Oct 2, 2018

On Free Trade: Trade war with China, & tariffs, hurting domestic farmers

These proposed tariffs are particularly concerning for North Dakotans considering China is our fourth-largest export market and a major buyer of our agricultural products, including our No. 1 export market for soybeans. Disrupting that trade relationship puts our farmers at a disadvantage, and we urge the administration to negotiate a deal that benefits U.S. producers and blocks these proposed retaliatory tariffs from taking effect.
Source: West Fargo Pioneer on 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial race Apr 4, 2018

The above quotations are from 2020 North Dakota Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage.
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Page last updated: Nov 03, 2020