There are some presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election who have held political office in their lifetimes, while others haven’t, but are entering the race as successful entrepreneurs.
Doug Burgum, who announced his candidacy on June 7, is a mixture of both.
Burgum at the moment is the governor of North Dakota, a post he has held since 2016.
Before launching that successful bid, Burgum didn’t have any political experience, but established himself as a billionaire working in the software industry.
In 2001, Burgum sold his North Dakota-based software company to Microsoft for $1.1 billion.
He has also founded a real estate development firm and a software venture capital group.
A relatively unknown candidate, Burgum hopes that having a combination of business and political experience will resonate with voters in a crowded field of Republican candidates.