By: Michael Achterling (North Dakota Monitor)
With the 2024 election in the rearview mirror, the eyes of North Dakotans have shifted to where their outgoing governor may end up in President Donald Trump’s new administration.
Gov. Doug Burgum, who endorsed Trump after ending his own presidential campaign and was a contender for Trump’s vice president, has downplayed the speculation about the potential for him to serve in the new administration.
“I don’t need another position. I have loved every minute of every day of being the governor of this state,” Burgum told WDAY this week. “It has never been an aspiration of mine to be in Washington, D.C., but if there is an opportunity to have a big impact on this country, it will be a conversation between President Trump and myself.”
Burgum has previously said that when he received news that Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, was the vice president pick, Trump called him “Mr. Secretary.” The president-elect has also said Burgum could be a “very important part of his administration.”
Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said he thinks Burgum would be best suited leading the Department of Energy.
“I love the concept of the governor becoming somewhat of an energy czar,” Ness said. “It’s a place where he’s got the knowledge and the background from North Dakota to do great things there. I think that’d be a good fit.”
Burgum emphasized American energy dominance during a speech at the Republican National Convention and has repeatedly called for more innovation within the industry rather than regulations.
Burgum ran for president during the Republican primaries but left a crowded field of GOP candidates Dec. 4 when he was polling in last place and had failed to qualify for the third debate.
If Burgum still has presidential ambitions, he may want to choose another path, said Mark Jendrysik, political science professor at the University of North Dakota.
“There are probably positions within the Cabinet that are suited to his skills and interests, but those are also places that are mostly managerial,” Jendrysik said. “In general, the Cabinet has not been a great place to make a baller move, as it were, toward the presidency in a long, long time.”
He cited Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016 after serving as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state. He said most of the country probably couldn’t name the current secretaries of energy or commerce.
“You get blamed for everything that goes wrong and get no credit for things that go right,” Jendrysik said.
If Burgum still has higher political aspirations, Jendrysik said he should look into becoming a senator or a governor of a higher-profile state to use as a springboard.
Pat Finken, longtime Republican political strategist, said he hasn’t talked to Burgum, but he believes the governor would like to become Trump’s secretary of state so he can position himself for a White House run in 2028.
“You can kind of tell because he’s been doing some of these international trips recently,” Finken said.
During a Friday appearance on Fox News, Burgum highlighted his recent trips and meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Finken said he’s also heard Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., has been floating the idea to Trump to combine the leadership roles of the Department of the Interior and Department of Energy.
“That’s actually kind of hot on the rumor mill right now,” Finken said. “Because there is so much overlap on energy and the interior that maybe he would make an overseer, a czar, much like they did on climate … during the Obama administration and the Biden administration.”
