Many years ago (well, actually seven years ago this past Sunday), on the eve of the 2016 North Dakota primary election), I wrote in this space, “On Tuesday, I’m going to vote in the Republican primary election for Doug Burgum for Governor of North Dakota.”
As I’ve written here many times, I’m a Democrat, and I don’t take crossing over and voting in the Republican column lightly. But the winner of the Republican governor’s race between Doug Burgum and Wayne Stenehjem in the primary, I wrote June 12, 2016, is going to be the next governor of North Dakota, for at least the next four years, maybe eight.
“I think Doug Burgum will be better for North Dakota than Wayne Stenehjem.”
At the time, I thought Doug would be LOTS better than Wayne, who had pretty much climbed in bed with the oil industry and had sold out the Bad Lands in a frivolous lawsuit against the United States government, which was offering some protection for some pretty important areas of western North Dakota.
Eventually, he lost that lawsuit, but not before he began fading away from the political scene. And then in early 2021, he died while still in office.
OK, so I voted for Burgum. But he climbed right into the same oil industry bed shortly after drinking his first cup of coffee in his new office in the Capitol on Dec. 15, 2016. Sigh.
The day after the 2016 primary, under the headline, “What The Hell Just happened?” I wrote “I cast my vote, and finally, I voted for a winning candidate in a governor’s race. And I had to vote for a Republican to make that happen.”
But I digress. I sat down here to write about Burgum’s campaign for president of the United States. See, way back in 2016, I signed up to get e-mails from the Burgum campaign. Partly because I kind of liked the guy and partly because it gave me the opportunity to keep tabs on what he was doing and be able to write about him here. I have to say, I got plenty of mail over the past 6½ years. He’s been a prodigious e-mailer.
But nothing like what’s happened since he announced his campaign for president last week. Man, has he got an e-mail team. I’ve had a dozen e-mails from him since he announced, the first just 27 minutes after his news conference.
I don’t mind them because they’ll help me keep track of what he’s doing to become president. But if he or one of his staffers reads this, here’s my response: I will not send you money, and I will not put a yard sign in my yard. Here, readers, take a look at what I’ve gotten so far.
Here’s the first one, the morning of his announcement. The ink wasn’t even dry on his press release.
From: Doug Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com)
Wed, June 7, 11:27 AM
To: me
Jim,
Hey, Doug Burgum here. Today, we announced our campaign for President of the United States.
This race won’t be easy. In addition to outperforming my fellow Republican candidates, we are also going up against Joe Biden and the media.
The first debate is coming up very soon, and we’re going to need a surge in support to make it onto that stage. We hope we can count on you, Jim, which is why we’re asking YOU to do us the honor of becoming an Inaugural Member of this campaign.
We have a long road ahead of us, and it will not be easy. Yet, with you on the team, we know we can do this and deliver new leadership for our changing economy.
We would be grateful for a contribution of ANY AMOUNT TODAY to stand with us and become an Official Inaugural Member of our campaign.
With gratitude,
Doug Burgum
Candidate for President of the United States
Well. With ME on the team, he can do this! The buttons nearly popped off my shirt! I decided to think about being on “the team” for a while, and then, just five hours later, the second one arrived.
| From: Doug Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) | |||
| Wed, June 7, 4:19 PM | |||
| To: me | |||
Jim,
Thank you again for joining Doug Burgum for America.
There are already several Republican candidates in the race, not to mention Joe Biden. However, what sets Doug apart from the rest of the field is his unique combination of being a successful governor and a Main Street business leader.
Under his leadership, North Dakota has experienced tremendous growth and prosperity. Now, we’re eager to bring his outsider perspective and knowledge to create a better, stronger America.
Doug Burgum wants our campaign to be for and by the people, which is why we could use your immediate feedback:
Click here if you want to vote (you’re welcome Doug).
The next morning came another pitch for $2.00.
| Team Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com Thu, Jun 8, 10:01 AM To: me Jim, |
Thu, Jun 8, 10:01 AM (5 days ago) | ||
It’s hard to believe, yet the first Republican Presidential Debate is just about 2 months away.
Unlike the other candidates — Ron DeSantis, Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, and Donald Trump, who have all had weeks, if not months, to professionally fundraise — we are JUST getting this grassroots movement started.
Now, this isn’t a bad thing; however, it does make it THAT much more difficult to qualify for the first debate. We don’t want our race to be over before it even starts, so we’re asking you to join the team with a generous donation of just $2 to our campaign, Doug Burgum for America.
Every other campaign is asking for $1, yet we can do better together. If every patriot reading this email donates just $2, we’ll be well on our way to making it on the debate stage in Milwaukee in August. No candidate will work harder to earn your support, which is why we are counting on folks like you to get us to the debate stage so we can share our vision with America.
Our team is going to send around a list with the names of each supporter who gave $2 or more by the end of the day. We would be eternally grateful to see YOUR NAME on the list, Jim.
With gratitude,
Team Burgum
Well, a “generous donation” of two bucks. Gag. I didn’t bite. I just held my breath waiting for another e-mail, which arrived Thursday evening, just nine hours later. It was kind of a re-run from the day before.
| From: Team Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) | |||
| Thu, June 8, 7:10 PM | |||
To: me
Jim,
Did you see the email below from Doug Burgum?
HE’S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, Jim!
For today ONLY, we’re offering YOU the chance to become an Official Inaugural Member of our campaign, Doug Burgum for America.
To cement your status, all you need to do is contribute ANY AMOUNT by 11:59 PM tonight.
We would be grateful for a contribution of ANY AMOUNT TODAY to stand with Doug Burgum and become an Official Inaugural Member of our campaign. >>
With gratitude,
Doug Burgum for America
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Doug Burgum
To: <jimfuglie920@gmail.com>
DOUG BURGUM ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Jim,
Hey, Doug Burgum here. Today, we announced our campaign for President of the United States.
This race won’t be easy. In addition to outperforming my fellow Republican candidates, we are also going up against Joe Biden and the media.
The first debate is coming up very soon, and we’re going to need a surge in support to make it onto that stage. We hope we can count on you, Jim, which is why we’re asking YOU to do us the honor of becoming an Inaugural Member of this campaign.
We have a long road ahead of us, and it will not be easy. Yet, with you on the team, we know we can do this and deliver new leadership for our changing economy.
We would be grateful for a contribution of ANY AMOUNT TODAY to stand with us and become an Official Inaugural Member of our campaign. >>
With gratitude,
Doug Burgum
Candidate for President of the United States
Then this cute one came Friday.
| From: Doug Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) Fri June 9, 10:31 AM To: me | |||
Jim,
Long-shot candidate.
All of these terms were used to describe us when rumors were swirling around whether or not we would run to be the next President of the United States.
Well, we are running, and with your help, we can win, Jim. We just need to know if we have your support:
DO YOU STAND WITH DOUG BURGUM?
Your support would mean the world to Kathryn and me as we run full steam ahead into this race, and we promise to always fight for what matters to YOU and the exhausted majority of Americans.
When you get a moment, can you please go on record using the buttons above or below?
DO YOU STAND WITH DOUG BURGUM?
With gratitude,
Doug Burgum
“Exhausted majority of Americans?” Count me in, I guess. I was too tired to vote, so I didn’t vote. But the guy’s persistent. The next day, Friday, in the afternoon, I got this one, asking me to sign his petition
| From: Doug Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) Fri June 9, 5:30 PM To: me |
Hey Jim, It’s public. We are running to be the next President of the United States, and we’re reaching out to humbly ask if you’d sign our Official Petition to go on record with your support. We would be incredibly grateful to get another 10,000 signatures by the end of the day, and we are hoping you could help us with this goal. All you need to do is follow the link below to add your signature, and then you’ll be added to the list as an Official Supporter of Doug Burgum for America. Please add your signature to our Official Petition to support our campaign for President RIGHT NOW before it’s too late. >> >>”> With gratitude, Doug Burgum |
I guess the staff took Saturday off because I didn’t get another e-mail until Sunday afternoon. Pretty much a re-run of Wednesday afternoon.
| From: Doug Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) Sun, June 11, 5:00 PM To: me | |||
Jim,
We need to ask you something really quick:
Doug Burgum is the only candidate ready to lead America through our changing economy, and with YOUR HELP, he’ll gain the support of the American people.
We plan to send around a summary of these poll results to review, and we’d be grateful for your time and consideration, Jim.
So, can you do us a favor and submit your response as soon as possible?
Thank you,
Doug Burgum for America
Monday brought another pitch for $2. See, here’s the logic behind these pitches for a dollar or two. In order to qualify for the first presidential candidate debate in August, candidates must have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors to their campaign. That’s likely to be a problem for candidates like Burgum. I don’t think he has 40,000 names on his fundraising list. If he’s not on the stage in August, he’s likely not going to be a serious contender for the nomination.
I waited all day Monday for that e-mail, and it came at supper time.
| From: Doug Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) | |||
| Mon June 12, 6:01 PM | |||
To: me
Jim,
It’s hard to believe, yet the first Republican Presidential Debate is just about 2 months away.
Unlike the other candidates — Ron DeSantis, Larry Elder, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, and Donald Trump, who have all had weeks, if not months, to professionally fundraise — we are JUST getting this grassroots movement started.
Now, this isn’t a bad thing; however, it does make it THAT much more difficult to qualify for the first debate. We don’t want our race to be over before it even starts, so we’re asking you to join the team with a generous donation of just $2 to our campaign, Doug Burgum for America.
Every other campaign is asking for $1, yet we can do better together. If every patriot reading this email donates just $2, we’ll be well on our way to making it on the debate stage in Milwaukee in August. No candidate will work harder to earn your support, which is why we are counting on folks like you to get us to the debate stage so we can share our vision with America. Please donate $2 or more RIGHT AWAY to help us qualify for the first Republican Presidential Debate.
I think that was e-mail number 10. I still haven’t responded. But you can, if you want to. Here you go. Click here if you want to send two bucks. You’ll get to see a great image of Doug on his fundraising page. Go ahead. Do it! Burgum on horseback with a lariat and a seed company cap. A real cowboy!
So what happened Tuesday? Well, I got offered a yard sign, which reminded me that I had a Burgum sign in my front yard just before the primary in 2016. But when Burgum endorsed Donald Trump for president, Lillian went out and threw it in the trash. So I probably won’t order one this time around. Oh, and it reminded me of the one thing Doug Burgum and I have in common. The name “Arthur.” Burgum grew up in Arthur, North Dakota. I live on Arthur Drive in Bismarck. OK, never mind. But here’s his pitch. Kind of selling the yard signs for $40 each.
| From: Team Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) | ||
| Tue June 13, 5:30 PM | ||
| Jim,
IS YOUR YARD MISSING A SIGN? Make it official with our BRAND NEW Official Doug Burgum for America Yard Signs, personally designed by our campaign team. Team Burgum |
||
Here’s the link they provided to get a yard sign. It’s strictly a fundraising pitch, though, with no mention of yard signs. Looks like you can join “the team” for $2, but if you want a yard sign, it’s $40.
And then Wednesday afternoon came another fundraising pitch askingme to contribute any amount.
| From: Team Burgum (contact@email.dougburgum.com) | ||
| Wed June 14, 3:00 PM | ||
Jim,
Did you see the email below from Doug Burgum?
HE’S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, Jim!
For today ONLY, we’re offering YOU the chance to become an Official Inaugural Member of our campaign, Doug Burgum for America.
To cement your status, all you need to do is contribute ANY AMOUNT by 11:59 PM tonight.
With gratitude,
Doug Burgum for America
OK, so that’s about a dozen e-mails in eight days, most of them asking me for money. Nothing about why he’s running, or what he stands for (like I’d care anyway).
He does offer an “unsubscribe” button if I want to quit getting them, but I think it’s just as easy to ignore them until I see one which catches my eye.
Burgum, by the way, is not the first North Dakotan to run for president. The other would be Congressman William Lemke, who actually got on the national ballot (which I suspect Burgum won’t do) as the candidate for the Union Party in 1936. He got 2 percent of the national vote. And he was re-elected to the House of Representatives in the same election.
But there’s an old political saying that “Every governor looks in the mirror and sees a future president.” So far, the best analysis I’ve seen of the Burgum presidential campaign came from North Dakota’s Democratic-NPL Chairman Adam Goldwyn, who said Burgum was just another “bored billionaire” seeking attention. Maybe a long, hot summer in Iowa will help get rid of the boredom.
Anybody else getting all these e-mails, or am I just special?
Whoops. Stop the presses. This one came rolling in last night. What’s different about it is he’s now only asking for a dollar, not two. Either fundraising is going really well and he doesn’t need so much, or it’s not going well at all because $2 is pricing potential donors out of their giving range.
| Doug Burgum <contact@email.dougburgum.com> Unsubscribe | Wed 8:36 PM |  |
|
| to me |
|||
| Jim,Right now, the world, and our economy are both rapidly changing, and how we respond will define our future.
Technology is changing every job, every company, and every industry. And this change will become more rapid than ever before. We need new leadership for the changing economy. We need a leader who understands the real work that Americans do every day. Someone who has worked alongside our farmers, ranchers, and small business owners. Someone who has held jobs where you shower at the end of the day, not at the beginning. Someone who has decades of success selling our technology overseas and knows the threats and risks to our future from foreign state-sponsored competitors stealing and pirating our intellectual property. To unlock the best of America, we need a leader who’s clearly focused on three things: economy, energy, and national security. That’s why I am running for President of the United States of America. With patriots like you united across the country, we can achieve the best of America. I am honored to be fighting for you, and hope you’ll fight for me too. If you could send in a donation of just $1 or more, we would greatly appreciate it. >> CONTRIBUTE HERE » Doug Burgum |
One last thing. Y’know that picture of Burgum kicking off his campaign at the beginning of this article? I stole it from The Dickinson Press. Here’s a link to the newspaper’s “Burgum Photo Gallery,” way more pictures of Doug Burgum than you ever wanted to see. Especially the photos of his young(er) life. The boy from Arthur has come a long way from the time he told me he kept his hair long to keep the Republicans looking for candidates away from his door.
One thought on “JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — Just Another ‘Bored Billionaire’”
JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — The E-mails Just Keep On Comin’ – UNHERALDED.FISH June 26, 2023 at 9:55 am
[…] about 10 days since I reported on the status of the Burgum for President campaign. I can report this morning that the e-mail […]
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