According to reports, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is strongly considering entering the 2024 presidential race. The governor will officially decide in the coming weeks after his state’s legislative session comes to an end. Ads are already in development for Burgum ahead of his announcement. He recently told Inforum:

“That’ll be next, to think about 2024,” Burgum told The Forum Editorial Board. Any candidate for national office coming from North Dakota, a small state with three electoral college votes, would have to overcome the bias against rural states, he said.

“There is a geographical bigotry that exists,” Burgum said. Campaigning as an underdog wouldn’t be a new experience for Burgum, a former software executive and entrepreneur who entered the 2016 gubernatorial race as a political newcomer with 10% support.

He challenged the late Wayne Stenehjem, the popular attorney general and the GOP’s endorsed candidate, with Burgum trailing as the third choice in the nominating convention. But Burgum won the primary handily, beating Stenehjem by more than 10 percentage points, and cruised four years later to a second term.

“There’s a value to being underestimated all the time,” Burgum said, recalling that he had no endorsements in his first race. “That’s a competitive advantage.”

Burgrum entered the governor’s office with a massive 69% approval rating and won his second term by 40 points.

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