North Dakota Republican Gov. Burgum announces 2024 presidential bid

North Dakota GOP Gov. Doug Burgum on Wednesday announced his 2024 presidential bid, joining an already crowd Republican primary. 

Burgum announced his bid in Fargo, making the case he is ready for the national stage after having led his state in such key voter issues as the economy, energy and national security.

"That is why today I'm officially announcing I'm running for the president of the United States," said Burgum, who made his official announcement today.

Coming from America's fourth least-populated state, Burgum has positioned himself as someone who understands the life of farmers, ranchers and small business owners, saying the country needs a leader who is "someone who’s held jobs where you shower at the end of the day, not at the beginning."

He faces a steep, uphill challenge in his bid to win the GOP primary, considering former President Trump has huge lead on the field. 

A CNN poll shows Trump with 56% of the vote, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 26% of the vote, and Burgum and others each polling in single digits. Burgum is polling at 1%, according to the poll. 

As a former software entrepreneur, Burgum made a deal with Microsoft for $1.1 billion with a small company he started. He hopes to use these skills and money for his 2024 presidential campaign, NBC reports. 

The GOP field increased this week to a dozen candidates, with the addition of Burgum, former Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence.

The other candidates are Trump, DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, conservative radio host Larry Elder and businessmen Ryan Binkley, Perry Johnson and Vivek Ramaswamy.