Doug Burgum Withdraws from Republican Presidential Race

Doug Burgum ended his Republican presidential bid Monday, narrowing the field for a critical debate on Wednesday. The North Dakota governor and tech billionaire expressed pride in bringing his small-town Midwestern values to the GOP race. He tweeted, “We launched our campaign with a clear-eyed mission: Bring a business leader and proven governor’s voice to fight for the best of America. We will always remain committed to fighting for that.” Burgum gained attention for giving out $20 gift cards to donors to meet debate requirements and for injuring his leg before the first debate. He will not be participating in the upcoming debate, which is expected to be a showdown between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. The pressure is on DeSantis to deliver a strong performance as the Iowa caucus approaches. Vivek Ramaswamy will also be on the stage, while Chris Christie’s participation is still uncertain.