Former N.D. Governor Schafer applauds Burgum presidential run
Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer
Editor’s Note: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is expected to announce on June 7, that he will run for United States President and immediately enter the process of seeking the Republican Party’s nomination. Recently I had a chance to visit with former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer about Burgum’s chances. I believe Schafer is uniquely positioned to give perspective on this, since he was the state’s 30th governor from 1992 to 2000, and also had a front row seat to a presidency, serving as United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2008 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. I began by asking what his reaction was when he heard the news that Burgum was going to run.
Schafer: I think it’s great. You know, every legislator gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says, I could be governor, right? And every governor gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and says, I could be president. And so you always have that sense when you’re in the governor’s job, that you’re managing the operations with different constituencies and delivering government services. You’re kind of beholden to the congress or legislature that gives you what you can and can’t do. And that background puts a perspective on the ability to deliver the job of the presidency. And I think Doug Burgum is very capable from what I see, of being a very successful and good and performing president. You know it’s kind of exciting to have somebody from North Dakota that can rise to that level and that can be there. We’re kind of always set aside and we’ve got three electoral votes, so we don’t have a lot of trading power out there. But to see an individual who’s capable and motivated and committed to doing a tremendous job like that, I think it’s great to see.