Doug Burgum | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 55th United States Secretary of the Interior | |
| Assumed office February 1, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Katharine MacGregor |
| Preceded by | Deb Haaland |
| 33rd Governor of North Dakota | |
| In office December 15, 2016 – December 15, 2024 | |
| Lieutenant | Brent Sanford Tammy Miller |
| Preceded by | Jack Dalrymple |
| Succeeded by | Kelly Armstrong |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Douglas James Burgum (1956-08-01)August 1, 1956 (age 69) Arthur, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | North Dakota State University (BA) Stanford University (MBA) |
| Signature |  |
Douglas James Burgum (/ˈbɜːrɡəm/BURG-əm; born August 1, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 55thUnited States secretary of the interior since 2025 under PresidentDonald Trump. A member of theRepublican Party, he previously served as the 33rdgovernor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2024.
Burgum was born and raised inArthur, North Dakota. After graduating fromNorth Dakota State University in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in university studies and earning anMBA fromStanford University two years later, he mortgaged inherited farmland in 1983 to invest inGreat Plains Software inFargo. Becoming its president in 1984, hetook the company public in 1997. Burgum sold the company toMicrosoft for $1.1 billion in 2001. While working at Microsoft, he managedMicrosoft Business Solutions. He has served as board chairman for Australian software companyAtlassian andSuccessFactors. Burgum is the founder of Kilbourne Group, aFargo-based real-estate development firm, and also is the co-founder of Arthur Ventures, a software venture capital group.
Burgum won the2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election in a landslide. He was reelected by a wide margin in2020. In June 2023, Burgum launched acampaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He ended his candidacy in early December 2023, and became an advisor on theTrump campaign's energy policy. On November 14, 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Burgum as theUnited States secretary of the interior.[1] On January 30, 2025, Burgum was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 79–18 vote. On February 1, 2025, Burgum was sworn in as the fifty-fifth U.S. secretary of the interior.
As Secretary of the Interior, he oversaw the Trump administration's crackdown on wind power,[2][3] while promoting coal-fired power, expanded drilling on federal lands, and expanded metals extraction from federal lands and wildlife refuges.[4][5][6][7]
Burgum was born on August 1, 1956, inArthur, North Dakota, the son of Katherine (née Kilbourne) and Joseph Boyd Burgum, who were both ofEnglish descent. He has a brother, Bradley, and a sister, Barbara.[8][9] He was born where his grandfather established agrain elevator in 1906.[10] The company evolved into anagribusiness that the family still owns.[11]
During his freshman year in high school, Burgum's father died. He later said that the experience shaped him as a person.[12] He graduated fromNorth Dakota State University (NDSU) in 1978. He was a member ofSigma Alpha Epsilon and served as student body president. As a college student, he started achimney-sweeping business.[13]
Burgum later studied at theStanford Graduate School of Business, where he befriendedSteve Ballmer, who became CEO ofMicrosoft.[13] He completed hisMBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business in 1980.[14]
After earning his MBA, Burgum moved to Chicago to become a management consultant atMcKinsey & Company.[11]
In March 1983, Burgum mortgaged $250,000 of farmland to provide the seed capital for accounting software companyGreat Plains Software in Fargo.[10] He acquired a 2.5% stake in the company,[15] and became its vice president of marketing.[16] In 1984, Burgum led a group of investors,[16] including relatives,[11] who purchased a controlling interest in Great Plains Software from Joseph C. Larson, the company's founder, who retained a minority interest.[16]
During the 1980s,Fortune magazine often ranked Great Plains Software among the nation's top 100 companies to work for. Burgum grew the company to about 250 employees by 1989 and led it to about $300 million in annual sales, after using the internet to help it expand beyond North Dakota.[15] He said he built the company in Fargo becauseNorth Dakota State University was there; NDSU acted as afeeder school to supply engineering students to GPS.[17] The companywent public in 1997.[15][18] In 1999 the company acquired Match Data Systems, a development team in thePhilippines.[19] In 2001, Burgum sold Great Plains Software to Microsoft for $1.1 billionin stock.[20][21] Announced in December 2000, the acquisition was completed in 2001.[21] According to Burgum, he held a 10% stake in Great Plains at the time.[22]
After the sale, Burgum was named senior vice president ofMicrosoft Business Solutions Group,[23][24] the unit created from GPS.[25] At Microsoft, he was responsible for making enterprise apps a priority.[26] In 2005, he expressed interest in stepping down as senior vice president to become chairman of Microsoft Business Solutions.[27] In September 2006, he announced that he planned to leave Microsoft entirely by 2007.[28]
In 2008 Burgum co-founded Arthur Ventures, a venture capital company that invests in businesses involved in technology, life sciences, and clean technologies.[29][30] The group began operation with a $20 million fund and primarily invested in companies in North Dakota andMinnesota.[31] By 2013 it had expanded operations into Nebraska, Missouri, Arizona, and Iowa.[31]
Burgum is also the founder of the Kilbourne Group, a real-estate development firm focused on downtown Fargo.[32][33] In 2013 he created plans to build the tallest building in Fargo—a 23-story mixed-use building—to be named either Block 9 or Dakota Place.[34] It was completed in 2020 as theRDO Building.[35] The company advocated for aconvention center to be built in downtown Fargo.[36] It acquired and renovated many Fargo properties, including the former St. Mark's Lutheran Church and the formerWoodrow Wilson alternative high school.[37] Several of the companies he has invested in are in Fargo.[20][38]
In 2009, he was "urged to apply" for the position of president ofNorth Dakota State University, but in 2010 he was passed over forDean Bresciani.[39]
Prior to running for office, Burgum endorsed RepublicanSteve Sydness for one of North Dakota'sU.S. Senate seats in 1988.[40] He supported the gubernatorial campaigns of RepublicansJohn Hoeven andJack Dalrymple in2008 and2012.[41][42]
In 2016, Burgum announced his candidacy for governor of North Dakota as a Republican.[43] With no formal political experience, he lost the state Republican party's endorsement to longtime attorney generalWayne Stenehjem, but defeated Stenehjem handily in the primary election two months later. Burgum faced DemocratMarvin Nelson and Libertarian Marty Riske in the Novembergeneral election and won with over 75% of the vote.[44][45] He was sworn in on December 15, 2016, alongside running mateBrent Sanford.[46][47]
Burgum was reelectedin 2020 with over 65% of the vote.[48][49]
During both terms, North Dakota maintained a robustfossil fuel industry. Burgum set a goal for North Dakota to becomecarbon-neutral by 2030, which he planned to accomplish throughcarbon capture and storage technology to capture and sequestercarbon dioxide in the state's geological formations and by using carbon dioxide forenhanced oil recovery and via agricultural practices that sequester carbon in soil.[50] The 2021 announcement of the goal sparked $25 billion in private sector investment, according to remarks he made at the annual meeting of the North Dakota petroleum council.[51]
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On December 20, 2022, Sanford resigned, citing a desire to return to the private sector. Burgum appointed businesswomanTammy Miller as lieutenant governor. She took office on January 2, 2023.[52]
Since taking office, Burgum has presented theRough Rider Award, North Dakota's highest civilian award, numerous times. Those chosen have includedVirgil Hill,[53]Steve D. Scheel,[54] andClint Hill.[55][56]
In January 2023, Burgum and other North Dakota officials threatened to sueMinnesota over a law that would require the state's electricity to be powered by carbon-free energy by 2040.[57] Minnesota governorTim Walz signed the bill on February 7, 2023.[58] In an attempt to mitigate the schoolteacher shortage,[59] Burgum announced the creation of a Teacher Retention and Recruitment task force that would consist of multiple members, Burgum, and theNorth Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction.[60] In October 2023, Burgum condemnedHamas and noted that 84 North Dakotans who were on a church tour were stranded inBethlehem as the fighting began.[61]
On March 20, 2023, Burgum vetoed a bill to raise the stateinterstate speed limit to 80 mph.[62] During the2023 legislative session, he signed a bill that exempts members of theNorth Dakota National Guard and reserve from payingincome tax,[63] and another that provided over $500 million in tax relief.[64]
On October 22, 2023, a special session of theNorth Dakota Legislative Assembly was called after theNorth Dakota Supreme Court struck down the state's budget as unconstitutional, stating that the general budget did not meet North Dakota's constitution's single-subject requirement for bills. Burgum had to be present in Bismarck to approve the 14 separate budget bills that the legislature seeks to pass to recreate the initial budget. Burgum stated he expected to return to his presidential campaign within a week of the session being called, however, the special session resolved the budget and was closed in just three days.[65][66][67]
On January 22, 2024, Burgum announced that he would not run for a third term as governor.[68] On February 21, he endorsed Lieutenant GovernorTammy Miller to succeed him.[69] Miller lost the primary toU.S. representativeKelly Armstrong, who won the general election.[70][71][72]
In March 2023, Burgum expressed interest in running forpresident in the2024 United States presidential election.[73][74] On June 5, 2023, he posted a video to hisTwitter account teasing a "big announcement" for June 7.[75][76] He formally announced his campaign inThe Wall Street Journal the morning of June 7, with the launch of a campaign website and a rally in Fargo scheduled to take place later that day.[77] After his announcement, Burgum began campaigning inIowa.[78]
Burgum was reported to have spent more money on advertisements than any other presidential candidate.[79] He was endorsed by North Dakota's entireCongressional delegation, U.S. senatorsJohn Hoeven andKevin Cramer and U.S. representativeKelly Armstrong.[80][81] He was also endorsed by actorJosh Duhamel, who also endorsed him in his 2016 campaign.[82][83]
Burgum expressed support for theU.S. Supreme Court'sDobbs decision. His support derived from his position that abortion restrictions should be left to states. He pledged that as president he would not sign a national abortion ban and that the president should not focus onculture war issues. According toPolitico, Burgum sought to play up his stance as a Chinahawk by speaking of acold war with China.[84] On July 10, 2023, he began offering $20 gift cards for a donation of any amount to his primary campaign. A spokesman for Burgum acknowledged that it was an attempt to reach the threshold of individual donors required to participate in the first Republican primary debate.[85] The promotion was successful.[86] Despite its success, he was ridiculed on social media, with some users declaring that they had donated $1 to Burgum and $20 toJoe Biden's reelection campaign.[87][88] Federal election officials have not said whether this and similar moves by other candidates is illegal.[89] Burgum also qualified for the second debate, held on September 27.[90] He failed to qualify for the November 5, 2023 debate inMiami.[91]
On December 4, 2023, Burgum announced that he was suspending his campaign, citing frustration with the RNC's high threshold of donations and polling to qualify for debates.[92][93][94][95]
During his campaign, Burgum said he would not accept the vice presidency or a cabinet position if he was not nominated for president, so he was widely expected at the time to seek a third term as governor in the2024 North Dakota gubernatorial election.[96] On January 22, 2024, he announced he would not do so.[97]
Before theIowa caucuses, Burgum endorsed former presidentDonald Trump.[98] Afterward, he began campaigning for Trump, who praised Burgum and said he wanted him to be an important member of his next administration.[99] Later, Trump said Burgum would be "very good" as vice president, but reiterated that he had not yet made a decision.[100] Burgum spoke on behalf of Trump at theNorth Dakota caucuses.[101] Trump ally andU.S. senator Kevin Cramer said Burgum would be a clear front-runner for a cabinet position, most likelysecretary of energy.[102] Later during the primary season, Burgum was reportedly high on Trump'sVP shortlist,[103] and on May 2, Trump announced that Burgum was one of four remaining contenders, alongside senatorsMarco Rubio,Tim Scott, andJ.D. Vance.[104]
During theRepublican National Convention, Burgum was reported to have not been selected as Trump's running mate.[105] According to campaign insiders, Trump was leaning toward Burgum, but his sonsDonald Jr. andEric persuaded him to choose Vance.[106][107][108]
Burgum served as the Trump 2024 campaign's main advisor on energy policy.[109]Axios reported that the Trump campaign had sent him as a surrogate to campaign events more than anyone else on Trump's shortlist for running mate.[110]
On November 15, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of Burgum forSecretary of the Interior in the second Trump administration.[111][112][113][114][115] TheDepartment of the Interior oversees public lands, natural resources, and theBureau of Indian Affairs, among other things.[116] Reportedly, Trump's primary directive to Burgum as interior secretary has been to "drill" at a massive scale.[117]
Trump also named Burgum as his new "energy czar" to handle deregulation and private investments. This position will also give Burgum a seat on the National Security Council.[118][119][120][121]
Burgum's selection was highly praised by numerous Republican senators, includingJohn Barrasso,Dan Sullivan, andTim Sheehy.[122][123] Many tribal leaders also expressed support for his nomination.[124] It received backlash from environmental groups over Burgum's ties to and plans for the fossil fuel industry, such as his support for the pro-coal Lignite Energy Council.[125]
Before theEnergy and Natural Resources Committee, Burgum stated that he viewed America's public lands and waters as part of the country's financial "balance sheet", and advocated for extracting potentially trillions of dollars' worth of oil, gas and minerals via mining and drilling. He also stated that he intended to realize Trump's plan forenergy independence via "energy dominance" and an expansion of America's fossil fuel production. He also argued that curbs on energy production posed a national security threat as it means the United States has to import fuel from other countries, such as Russia and Iran. He also said "I believe that climate change is a global phenomenon, for sure."[126]
On January 23, 2025, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Burgum's nomination in a 18–2 vote.[a][127][128] On January 30, 2025, Burgum was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 79–18 vote, receiving the second most bipartisan support of any cabinet member afterSecretary of StateMarco Rubio.[129]
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On February 1, 2025, Burgum was sworn in as the fifty-fifth United States secretary of the interior.[130] Burgum's first act was sending a department-wide email calling for reduced regulation and the expansion of natural resource extraction.[131] To this end Burgum signed a suite of orders to speed project development and permitting and to eliminate regulations from theInflation Reduction Act.[132]Andrea Travnicek, a North Dakotan who worked in Burgum's gubernatorial cabinet and in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, was nominated by Trump as assistant secretary of the Interior.[133]
Burgum was praised by many tribes for ordering indigenous related programs be exempt from Trump's cutting of governmentdiversity, equity, and inclusion programs.[134]
Burgum was also tapped to lead Trump's efforts to rename theGulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America", which included his department contacting mapping companies likeGoogle Maps.[135]
On February 18, 2025, Trump announced that Burgum, as interior secretary, would lead his "National Energy Dominance Council" withSecretary of EnergyChris Wright as vice-chairman.[136] Shortly after, Burgum was also confirmed as a speaker at the 2025Conservative Political Action Conference.[137]
Later in March, Burgum suggested that Trump should useemergency authority under a "national energy emergency" to keep as manycoal plants open as possible and that "if there had been units at a coal plant that have been shut down, we need to bring those back".[138][4] He also stated that more energy production could be achieved through drilling onfederal lands.[6] Burgum later announced the department was partnering with theDepartment of Housing and Urban Development and its secretaryScott Turner to use public lands to build more affordable housing in the country.[139][140]
In late March, Burgum announced the department would open up 1.53 millionacres of theAlaskanArctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling in accordance with an executive order by President Trump to allow more energy production in the state.[5][141][142]
In April, Burgum ordered a halt to a $5 billion offshore wind project byEquinor off the coast of New York City.[2] This was part of a larger effort by thesecond Trump administration to stop offshore wind projects.[2] The halt is currently being challenged in court by multiple democraticstate attorney generals, and a dismissal of the case was rejected byfederal judgeWilliam G. Young, which has allowed Equinor to continue regardless of the order.[143][144] In December 2025, Burgum announced that the Trump administration would halt leases for five offshore wind projects on the East Coast, citing unspecified national security concerns.[3]
On May 15, 2025, Burgum completed his disclosures and divestitures which included numerous pieces of farmland in both North Dakota and Minnesota stating that he would "receive only rent or royalties pursuant to the crop share agreement." He also resigned as managing partner from his agronomy startup Arthur Ventures and from his position on the board of the Kilbourne Group, a real-estate company.[145]
While speaking to theWestern Governors Association on June 23, 2025, Burgum did not address the prospect of 250 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land becoming eligible for sale under the proposed "Big Beautiful Bill."[146] Instead he called for expanded rare earth metal and energy extraction in western lands under the administration of the Department of the Interior.[7] A protest was held outside the event by former secretary of the interiorDeb Haaland, claiming that Burgum "prioritizes corporate greed over New Mexico's wellbeing."[146][147] Burgum, in response, stated that he was unaware of the public lands portion and that it "wasn't part of the president's agenda to be part of this bill in the first place."[148] That section of the bill would be removed before being signed by Trump.[149]
Additionally, Burgum's efforts to create a centralized wildfire firefighting force was criticized by New Mexico GovernorMichelle Lujan Grisham at the meeting, saying the task was better left to the Forest Service.[150]
On July 17, 2025, Burgum andAttorney GeneralPam Bondi visitedAlcatraz Island and itsinactive prison, after Trump commented on reopening the prison in May.[151][152]
During his 2016 campaign he described himself as a moderate on social issues and a fiscal conservative.[153] Burgum was a critic of theJoe Biden administration.[154]
Burgum supports thefossil fuel industry, especially in theBakken region of western North Dakota.[155] He supports theDakota Access Pipeline.[156] He has said that Americanenergy independence is an issue of national security. He derided what he called a "full-on assault of liquid fuels in this country" and has regularly criticized policies to subsidize electric vehicles. He called for openingBureau of Land Management land for energy-related activities such asrare earth metal mining and oil and natural gas drilling. He promised to make North Dakotacarbon neutral by 2030; he said he would loosen regulations for the gas industry, but also said he is committed to clean energy projects.[157]
Burgum criticized theBiden administration for policies phasing outgas stoves in some forms of new housing.[158]
Burgum has been a vocal supporter ofcarbon capture pipelines while governor, going so far as to allow three natural gas companies, Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator CO2 Ventures, and Wolf Carbon Solutions, to useeminent domain to seize land to install pipelines.[159] These pipelines would transport excesscarbon dioxide captured fromethanol production plants inIowa to facilities in North Dakota to store them deep underground. Many rural residents oppose the pipelines due to the fear of leaks as well as the seizure of private land to create them.[160] When confronted about the issue at an Iowa rally, Burgum changed his position, saying he fervently opposed eminent domain, but insisted that carbon capture was good for the economy and the environment and that it would allow the use of traditionalinternal combustion automobiles indefinitely.[159]
During his 2016 gubernatorial campaign, Burgum was noted for saying women were "unsafe" beforeRoe v. Wade. In 2024, he said his position on abortion had evolved in that he believes abortion laws should be left to the individual states.[161]
In April 2023, Burgum signed anear-total ban on abortion in North Dakota.[162] While campaigning for president, he said that he would not support a nationwide abortion ban, preferring that individual states set abortion policy.[163] He supported theSupreme Court decisionDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturnedRoe v. Wade.[164][165]
Burgum received an A grade on gun issues from theNRA Political Victory Fund and signed numerous laws that ease access to firearms.[166][167] He has touted his love of hunting.[168]
In an interview withABC News, Burgum's wife, Kathryn, opened up about her history of beingsuicidal and analcoholic and said that, if she becameFirst Lady, her top priority would be to find a solution to the "behavior health crisis", to end the stigmatization of mental illness, and to rework mental health insurance.[169] Shortly afterward, at an event in New Hampshire, Burgum said he believed addiction was the root of most of America's problems, including crime, homelessness, and mental health. He said that if elected president he would overhaul the reimbursement systems for mental health care and would find a place for the private sector to get involved in funding solutions for substance use disorders. As governor, Burgum shifted some of North Dakota's prisons to look more like mental health institutions, a policy he said he would attempt to emulate at the federal level.[170]
Burgum deployed the North DakotaNational Guard to thesouthern border with Mexico numerous times to assist Texas.[171] In April 2022, he and 25 other governors created the American Governors' Border Strike Force to help one another with border defense againstillegal immigration andhuman trafficking.[172] He argued that energy independence is key to fending off China and Russia.[173]
During the2024 Republican debate inMilwaukee, Burgum expressed concern about China, claiming it is America's "number one threat" and that the U.S. should put "anti-warship missiles inTaiwan."[174] During campaign stops, Burgum expressed disdain for President Biden's handling of foreign aid toUkraine and his hostage deals withIran.[175] He blamed Iran for theOctober 7 attacks on Israel, and said Iran was emboldened by Biden's release of $6 billion of previously frozen Iranian assets.[176]
In 2019, Burgum signed legislation to develop a central cybersecurity operations center for the state's network of over 250,000 users and 400 state and local government entities under the Executive Branch's IT Department-North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT).[177][178] At his direction, NDIT began a Multi-State Security Operations Center to facilitate threat intelligence sharing and coordinate cybersecurity operations between member states.[179] In 2023, he signed House Bill 1398, requiring cybersecurity education for all K-12 Students, making North Dakota the first state to have a cybersecurity education requirement for its students.[180]
In July 2020, Burgum called the 2020 Republican platform "divisive and divisional" on LGBTQ issues.[181] He signed numerous veto-proof bills sent by theNorth Dakota Legislative Assembly during its 2023 session that some have called "anti-trans", including a near-total ban ongender-affirming care for minors.[182][183][184][185]
On November 12, 2021, Burgum signed a law banning the teaching ofcritical race theory in North DakotaK-12 schools.[186] During the firstRepublican primary debate inMilwaukee, he spoke of his belief that federal regulations are unhelpful to schools and thatred-tape regulations harm teacher innovations.[187]
Burgum supports preserving existingentitlement programs, saying they should be federally protected. He also supports improving federal efficiency to free up more money for entitlement. In 2021 he signed a bill into law that exempted Social Security from North Dakota's state income tax.[168]
Burgum married his first wife, Karen Stoker, in 1991. They had three children before divorcing in 2003.[188] In 2016, Burgum married Kathryn Helgaas.[189][188] As first lady of North Dakota, Kathryn Burgum led the Recovery Reinvented program on addiction and recovery.[190] Burgum's daughter, Jesse, owns afilm production company which put her on theForbes 30 Under 30 list.[191]
While campaigning for president in 2024, Burgum said in an interview that he likes the music ofKeith Urban and enjoys watching the television showsYellowstone andTed Lasso.[192]
Burgum served on the advisory board for theStanford Graduate School of Business[23] and was on the board of SuccessFactors during the 2000s, serving as chair from 2007 until the 2011 sale of the company toSAP. In 2012 he became the first chairman of the board forAtlassian, after it expanded from its initial board of three members (none of whom served as chair).[193] During 2011 and 2014, he twice spent several months as the interim CEO of Intelligent InSites,[23] a company for which he has served as the executive board chair since 2008.[30] In the same year he became a member of Avalara's board of directors.[194]
In 2001,[195] Burgum donated a refurbished school building he had acquired in 2000 to North Dakota State University. It was named Renaissance Hall and became home to the university's visual arts department, major components of the architecture and landscape architecture department, and the Tri-College University office.[196] In 2008, Burgum started the Doug Burgum Family Fund, which focuses its charitable giving on youth, education, and health.[23] In 2011, the Burgum family donated about $800,000 to thePlains Art Museum in Fargo to support its Center for Creativity, which is named in honor of Burgum's mother, Katherine Kilbourne Burgum.[197][198]
Burgum received honorary doctorates fromNorth Dakota State University[25] in 2000 and theUniversity of Mary in 2006.[23]
In 2009, Burgum received theTheodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award from GovernorJohn Hoeven.[199]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Doug Burgum | 68,042 | 59.47% | |
| Republican | Wayne Stenehjem | 44,158 | 38.59% | |
| Republican | Paul Sorum | 2,164 | 1.89% | |
| Republican | Write-in | 51 | 0.04% | |
| Total votes | 114,415 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Doug Burgum | 259,863 | 76.5 | |
| Democratic–NPL | Marvin Nelson | 65,855 | 19.4 | |
| Libertarian | Marty Riske | 13,230 | 3.9 | |
| Write-in | 653 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 339,601 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Doug Burgum (incumbent) | 96,119 | 89.51% | |
| Republican | Michael Coachman | 10,904 | 10.15% | |
| Republican | Write-In | 356 | 0.33% | |
| Total votes | 107,379 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Doug Burgum (incumbent) | 235,479 | 65.8% | |
| Democratic–NPL | Shelley Lenz | 90,789 | 25.4% | |
| Libertarian | DuWayne Hendrickson | 13,853 | 3.9% | |
| Write-in | 17,538 | 4.9% | ||
| Total votes | 357,659 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Donald Trump | 17,015,756 | 76.42% | |
| Republican | Nikki Haley | 4,381,799 | 19.68% | |
| Republican | Ron DeSantis | 353,615 | 1.59% | |
| Republican | Uncommitted | 154,815 | 0.70% | |
| Republican | Chris Christie | 139,541 | 0.63% | |
| Republican | Vivek Ramaswamy | 96,954 | 0.44% | |
| Republican | Asa Hutchinson | 22,044 | 0.10% | |
| Republican | Perry Johnson | 4,051 | 0.02% | |
| Republican | Tim Scott | 1,598 | 0.01% | |
| Republican | Doug Burgum | 502 | 0.00% | |
| Republican | Mike Pence | 404 | 0.00% | |
| Republican | Other candidates | 93,796 | 0.42% | |
| Total votes | 22,264,875 | 100.00% | ||
This is Burgum's second marriage. He was previously married to Karen Stoker. They had three children — Joe, Tom and Jesse.
Gov. Doug Burgum and first lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum were married Nov. 25 in Wales
Media from Commons
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of North Dakota 2016,2020 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by Jack Dalrymple | Governor of North Dakota 2016–2024 | Succeeded by Kelly Armstrong |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Interior 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded byas United States Attorney General | Order of precedence of the United States as Secretary of the Interior | Succeeded byas United States Secretary of Agriculture |
| U.S. presidential line of succession | ||
| Preceded byas United States Attorney General | Eighth in line as Secretary of the Interior | Succeeded byas United States Secretary of Agriculture |
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| Cabinet members |  | |
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