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Doug Burgum

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Doug Burgum
Image of Doug Burgum

Nonpartisan

U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

0

Predecessor
Prior offices
Governor of North Dakota
Successor: Kelly Armstrong
Predecessor: Jack Dalrymple

Education

Bachelor's

North Dakota State University

Graduate

Stanford University

Personal
Profession
Business
Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Doug Burgum (Republican Party) is the secretary of the interior in President Donald Trump's (R) second term in office. The Senate voted 79-18 to confirm Burgum on January 30, 2025.[1]

Trump announced on November 14, 2024, that he had selected Burgum as his nominee for secretary of the interior in his second presidential term. Trump also said Burgum would lead the National Energy Council, a newly formed group consisting of "all Departments and Agencies involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, of ALL forms of American Energy."[2] In a statement, Trump said, "Doug Burgum will protect our Nation's Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again!"[3]

Burgum was the 33rd governor of North Dakota. He assumed office on December 15, 2016, and left office on December 15, 2024. He was last elected in the general election on November 3, 2020, on a joint ticket with Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford (R).

Burgum was born on August 1, 1956, in Arthur, North Dakota. He received a bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University in 1978 and an MBA from Stanford University in 1980. After graduating from business school, Burgum worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company from 1980 to 1983.

He founded Great Plains Software, which was acquired by Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001.[4][5] He then worked at Microsoft as a senior vice president from 2001 to 2007, and served on several boards before being elected governor, including Atlassian, and Intelligent InSites.[6] Burgum was also a founder of Arthur Ventures, a venture capital firm, and Kilborne Group, a real estate development firm.[7][8] As of September 2022, Burgum's net worth was more than $1 billion and he was among the wealthiest governors in the country.[9]

Burgum first ran for office in 2016 when he ran for and won election for Governor of North Dakota. The state's Republican Party endorsed another candidate in the race, but Burgum won the primary by more than 20% of the vote. He went on to win the general election with 76.5% of the vote. During the 2016 campaign, Burgum said: "I am running as a moderate on social issues and as a fiscal conservative in a state that is socially conservative but has seen government spending rise more rapidly than even our fast-growing economy."[10] He won re-election on November 3, 2020, with 65.8% of the vote after advancing from the Republican primary with 89.5% of the vote. On January 22, 2024, Burgum announced that he would not be running for re-election.[11]

As governor, Burgum signed into law a tax reform package that cut overall taxes by $515 million and restructured the state's personal income tax, collapsing the tax brackets from five to three, and lowering the rate on the highest bracket from 2.9% to 2.5%.[12][13] He also announced a goal to make the North Dakota economy carbon neutral by 2030 without transitioning away from fossil fuels, which are a major industry in the state, saying the state would rely on large-scale innovation and carbon capture, and would achieve the goal "with zero mandates, zero regulations."[14][15]

He also signed into law an abortion ban that prohibits abortions throughout a pregnancy with limited exceptions up to six weeks for rape, incest, and some medical emergencies. After six weeks, rape and incest victims are prohibited from getting an abortion and only abortions to treat certain medical emergencies are allowed.[16] He vetoed several measures related to LGBTQ issues, including a 2021 bill that would have restricted transgender students from participating in some school sports, and a 2023 bill that would have prohibited teachers from using pronouns for students other than those associated with their sex as assigned at birth.[17][18] In 2023, he signed a bill similar to the 2021 legislation, restricting transgender participation in K-12 sports, that passed the legislature with a veto-proof majority.[19]

Burgum ran in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. He declared his candidacy on June 7, 2023.[20] About his candidacy, Burgum said: "we need a leader who's clearly focused on three things; economy, energy and national security and that is why today I am officially announcing I am running for president of the United States of America."[21] Burgum withdrew from the race on December 4, 2023, and endorsed former President Donald Trump (R) one month later.[22][23] Click here to read more about his presidential campaign. Burgum was among a small group of finalists being considered for the vice presidency by the Trump campaign.[24][25][26]

Biography

Burgum was born on August 1, 1956, in Arthur, North Dakota. He received a bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University in 1978 and an M.B.A. from Stanford University in 1980. After graduating from business school, Burgum worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company from 1980 to 1983. He founded Great Plains Software in 1983, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2001. He then worked at Microsoft as a senior vice president from 2001 to 2007.[6][5]

Burgum also served on several boards before being elected governor, including the Arthur Companies, Avalara, Atlassian, the Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Intelligent InSites.[6]

Political career

Governor of North Dakota (2016-2024)

Burgum assumed office as governor of North Dakota on December 15, 2016, and left office on December 15, 2024.

Nomination for secretary of the interior

See also: Donald Trump presidential transition, 2024-2025 and Confirmation process for Doug Burgum for secretary of the interior
Donald Trump's Cabinet
(second term)
Candidate: Doug Burgum
Position: Secretary of the Interior
ApprovedaAnnounced:November 14, 2024
ApprovedaHearing:January 16, 2025
ApprovedaCommittee:Energy and Natural Resources
ApprovedaReported:Favorable (18-2)
ApprovedaConfirmed:January 30, 2025
ApprovedaVote:80-17

Trump announced on November 14, 2024, that he had selected Burgum as his nominee for secretary of the Department of the Interior in his second presidential term. Trump also said Burgum would lead the National Energy Council, a newly formed group consisting of "all Departments and Agencies involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, of ALL forms of American Energy."[27] In a statement, Trump said, "Doug Burgum will protect our Nation's Natural Resources, restore our fabulous Oil and Gas advantage, and Make America, and its Energy, Dominant and Great Again!"[28]

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a confirmation hearing for Burgum on January 16, 2025.[29] The Senate voted 80-17 to confirm Burgum on January 30, 2025.[30] Click here to read more about the confirmation process.

Summary of Senate vote on Doug Burgum's nomination for secretary of the interior (January 30, 2025)
Party Votes for Votes against Not voting
Democratic Party Democrats 26 16 3
Republican Party Republicans 53 0 0
Grey.png Independents 1 1 0
Totals 80 17 3



Elections

2024

Burgum announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential primary on June 7, 2023.[31] Burgum withdrew from the race on December 4, 2023.[22]

Republican presidential primaries 2024
 
Candidate
Pledged delegates
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/473px-Official_Portrait_of_President_Donald_Trump.jpg
 Donald Trump 2,268
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Nikki_Haley_official_Transition_portrait.jpg
 Nikki Haley 97
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ron_DeSantis__Official_Portrait__113th_Congress-7_fixed.jpg
 Ron DeSantis 9
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/ramaswamy24.jpg
 Vivek Ramaswamy 3
Total pledged delegates: 2,377

Click the links below to read more about the 2024 presidential election:

2020

See also: North Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020

North Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 9 Democratic primary)

North Dakota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 9 Republican primary)

General election

General election for Governor of North Dakota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of North Dakota on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Doug Burgum
Doug Burgum (R)
 
65.8
 
235,629
Image of Shelley Lenz
Shelley Lenz (D)
 
25.4
 
90,925
Image of DuWayne Hendrickson
DuWayne Hendrickson (L)
 
3.9
 
13,833
Image of Michael Coachman
Michael Coachman (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Bruce Moe (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Jamie Brager (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0
 Other/Write-in votes
 
4.9
 
17,472

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 357,859
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of North Dakota

Shelley Lenz advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of North Dakota on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Shelley Lenz
Shelley Lenz
 
99.3
 
34,501
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
231

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 34,732
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of North Dakota

Incumbent Doug Burgum defeated Michael Coachman in the Republican primary for Governor of North Dakota on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Doug Burgum
Doug Burgum
 
89.5
 
96,119
Image of Michael Coachman
Michael Coachman
 
10.2
 
10,904
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
356

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 107,379
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of North Dakota

DuWayne Hendrickson advanced from the Libertarian primary for Governor of North Dakota on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of DuWayne Hendrickson
DuWayne Hendrickson
 
77.6
 
705
 Other/Write-in votes
 
22.4
 
203

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 908
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Note: According to the office of the North Dakota Secretary of State, write-in votes are not itemized to specific candidates unless the write-in candidates received 10% of what the top vote-getter received for that office.[32]

2016

See also: North Dakota gubernatorial election, 2016

Generel election results

Doug Burgum and Brent Sanford defeated Marvin Nelson and Joan Heckaman and Marty Riske and Joshua Voytek in the North Dakota governor election.

North Dakota Governor, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Doug Burgum and Brent Sanford 76.52% 259,863
     Democratic Marvin Nelson and Joan Heckaman 19.39% 65,855
     Libertarian Marty Riske and Joshua Voytek 3.90% 13,230
Write-in votes 0.19% 653
Total Votes 339,601
Source: North Dakota Secretary of State

Primary election results

Doug Burgum defeated Wayne Stenehjem and Paul Sorum in the Republican primary for governor and lieutenant governor.

Republican primary for governor and lieutenant governor, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Doug Burgum 59.47% 68,042
Wayne Stenehjem 38.59% 44,158
Paul Sorum 1.89% 2,164
Write-in votes 0.04% 51
Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) 114,415
Source: North Dakota Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2020

Doug Burgum did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Doug Burgum campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* President of the United StatesWithdrew convention$0 N/A**
2024* President of the United StatesWithdrew convention$18,007,929 $18,006,939
Grand total$18,007,929 $18,006,939
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Doug Burgum
EndorseeElectionStageOutcome
Tammy Miller  source  (R) Governor of North Dakota (2024) PrimaryLost Primary
Donald Trump  source  (Conservative Party, R) President of the United States (2024) PrimaryWon General
Julie Fedorchak  source  (R) U.S. House North Dakota At-large District (2024) PrimaryWon General
Kari Lake  source  (R) U.S. Senate Arizona (2024) PrimaryLost General
Tim Sheehy  source  (R) U.S. Senate Montana (2024) PrimaryWon General
Donald Trump  source  (R) President of the United States (2016) PrimaryWon General

Noteworthy events

Reported as possible 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee

See also: Vice presidential candidates, 2024

Media reports discussed Burgum as a possible 2024 Republican vice presidential candidate.[33] Former President Donald Trump (R) selected U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate on July 15, 2024, the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention.

In 2020, President Joe Biden (D) announced Vice President Kamala Harris (D) as his running mate six days before the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). In 2016, both Hillary Clinton (D) and Trump announced their running mates three days before the DNC and RNC, respectively.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Burgum has three children with his first wife, Karen Stoker. He remarried in 2016 to Kathryn Helgas.[5][34]

See also

North Dakota State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
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Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Candidate

President of the United States
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    Officeholder

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Senate.gov, "Roll Call Vote 119th Congress - 1st Session," accessed January 31, 2025
    2. ↑ Reuters, "Trump says North Dakota Governor Burgum to be interior secretary," November 14, 2024
    3. ↑ Truth Social, "Trump on November 15, 2024," accessed November 15, 2024
    4. ↑ Forbes, "America's Best Entrepreneurial Governor," June 13, 2017
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 North Dakota, "Governor Doug Burgum," accessed May 27, 2021
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 LinkedIn, "Doug Burgum," accessed May 27, 2021
    7. ↑ The Bismarck Tribune, "New venture capital group formed," October 2, 2008
    8. ↑ Kilborne Group, "Doug Burgum," accessed July 12, 2024
    9. ↑ Yahoo! Finance, "How Rich Are the Wealthiest Governors?" September 21, 2022
    10. ↑ Vox, "Former Microsoft executive Doug Burgum is North Dakota’s next governor," November 9, 2016
    11. ↑ The Hill, "His presidential bid over, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum says he won’t seek a third term as governor," January 22, 2024
    12. ↑ KFYR TV, "Burgum signs $515 million tax cut bill," April 27, 2023
    13. ↑ Ernst & Young, "North Dakota law lowers personal income tax rates retroactive to January 1, 2023," May 9, 2023
    14. ↑ The Dickinson Press, "Gov. Doug Burgum calls for North Dakota to be carbon neutral by 2030," May 12, 2021
    15. ↑ Des Moines Register, "GOP candidate Doug Burgum leans on energy policy prowess in Iowa State Fair campaign pitch," August 11, 2023
    16. ↑ AP News, "North Dakota governor signs law banning nearly all abortions," April 25, 2023
    17. ↑ AP News, "North Dakota Gov. Burgum vetoes transgender sports measure," April 21, 2021
    18. ↑ AP News, "North Dakota governor vetoes transgender pronouns bill," March 30, 2023
    19. ↑ AP News, "North Dakota governor signs trans athlete bans into law," April 11, 2023
    20. ↑ AP, "In Fargo, North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum jumps into crowded Republican race for president," June 7, 2023
    21. ↑ Twitter, "CSPAN," June 7, 2023
    22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 NBC News, "Doug Burgum suspends presidential campaign," December 4, 2023
    23. ↑ AP News, "Trump is endorsed by a former rival, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, ahead of the Iowa caucuses," January 14, 2024
    24. ↑ NBC News, "Trump is focused on Doug Burgum, JD Vance and Marco Rubio as his VP search enters the home stretch," June 21, 2024
    25. ↑ ABC News, "Who is Doug Burgum, North Dakota governor and potential Trump running mate?" July 11, 2024
    26. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Trump’s Vice Presidential Pick Won’t Be Rubio or Burgum, Could Be Vance—Or a Surprise," July 16, 2024
    27. ↑ Reuters, "Trump says North Dakota Governor Burgum to be interior secretary," November 14, 2024
    28. ↑ Truth Social, "Trump on November 15, 2024," accessed November 15, 2024
    29. ↑ Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, "Hearing to Consider the Nomination of the Honorable Doug Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior," accessed January 13, 2025
    30. ↑ Senate.gov, "Roll Call Vote 119th Congress - 1st Session," accessed January 31, 2025
    31. ↑ AP, "In Fargo, North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum jumps into crowded Republican race for president," June 7, 2023
    32. ↑ North Dakota Legislature, "Chapter 16.1-15: Canvass of Votes - Canvassing Boards," accessed November 23, 2020
    33. ↑ Politico, "The GOP Is Already Clashing Over Trump’s VP Pick," January 18, 2024
    34. ↑ Grand Forks Herald, "Governor's daughter, Jessamine Burgum, returns home from L.A. to work on movie close to her heart," September 26, 2019

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Walter Cruickshank     		U.S. Secretary of the Interior
    2025-Present    		 Succeeded by
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    Preceded by
    Jack Dalrymple (R)     		Governor of North Dakota
    2016-2024    		 Succeeded by
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