Editor's note: Scott Jennings, CNN's senior political commentator and Republican campaign adviser, is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush and a former campaign adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell. He is a partner at his RunSwitch Public Relations in Louisville, Kentucky. Follow him on Twitter @ScottJenningsKY. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinions on CNN.
CNN —
The race for former President Donald Trump's running mate has taken an unexpected turn — if the D.C. buzz machine is to be believed, the current front-runner is someone most people had never heard of before this time last year. He is a former governor of Western Province.
Introducing Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota. He, too, ran for president in the Republican primary and made it through several debates, but he never escaped the low single digits in the polls and ultimately, like the other candidates, They succumbed to the strongmanship of President Trump.
But since then, no one has played his cards better than this affable former businessman turned Peace Garden governor (although Mr. Burgum would argue that he even knows how to play political poker). ), now she realizes that he is just like her. He is in a position where anyone can stake a national ticket.
Burgum was elected governor of North Dakota on the same night Trump was elected president in 2016, but has never held public office before. Both ran outsider campaigns to upset insider types in the primary and general elections.
After eight years as governor, Burgum has a story to tell. North Dakota is economically prosperous, ranking second in energy production per capita, and has a low unemployment rate. When talking about Mr. Burgum's background, he conveys a passion for innovation and a true understanding of what the federal government can do to help and hurt individual states, especially when it comes to energy policy.
After wrapping up his presidential campaign, Burgum quickly endorsed Trump and became a trusted surrogate. Refreshingly, Burgum is not the performance or theatrical variety, and it shows. North Dakota's governor conveys seriousness and deep conviction that we must save this country from the incoming Biden term.
“Working with President Trump as governor was like having a beautiful wind at my back,” Burgum said at a large Trump rally in New Jersey over the weekend. He added: “Biden's regulatory regime feels like a strong wind in its face because his bureaucrats treat our constitutional republic like a dictatorship.”
It's clear that President Trump also likes Burgum personally. During Trump's presidency, Burgum's wife, Kathryn, attended White House events on the fight against addiction. She has been a strong advocate for those who, like her, have struggled with alcoholism, and President Trump has publicly reflected on her late brother's struggle with the disease.
What is Burgum's claim? He is a Central American governor who cares more about the intersection of economic and energy policy and national security than political self-aggrandizement, and a swindling businessman who could benefit the Trump campaign's fundraising efforts. , a non-dramatic governing partner who is clearly profitable. A passion for taming the federal bureaucracy.
Oh, and he hasn't turned his Dakota into a ghastly pet cemetery, unlike his southern neighbors.
If President Trump is a casting director at heart, there is no one in America who looks and sounds like a more loyal vice president than Burgum, who accompanied Trump to court Tuesday to show his support. right. Mr. Burgum has proven to be competent in business and government, and Mr. Trump is sure to appreciate his efforts to defend Mr. Burgum against what the former president believes to be a politically motivated criminal case. Must. Of course, Burgum isn't the only Republican politician to visit the latest stop on the vice presidential candidate's tour. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio accompanied the prospective Republican presidential nominee to a Manhattan courtroom on Monday.
“In terms of knowledge, there's no one better than this gentleman…He probably knows more about energy than anyone I know. So get ready for something, yes, get ready.” But Doug Burgum was great,” President Trump said of his Jersey Shore stagemate.
Get our free weekly newsletter
To be sure, Mr. Trump has many great politically defensible options. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has a moving life story that could help President Trump continue to woo African American men who seem increasingly fed up with Biden and the Democratic Party. There is sex. Scott is respected by all levels of the Republican Party and is a talented speaker.
Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and J.D. Vance of Ohio are President Trump's smoothest Senate surrogates, effortlessly explaining and defending the former president on national television.
President Trump's former White House press secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik have both fiercely defended Trump from Democratic attacks, and the onslaught began in the fall. will definitely happen.
But in Burgum, President Trump may see himself. He is a successful businessman who entered politics in his later years to try to break down a broken system run by incompetent politicians who couldn't get out of a wet paper bag.
