North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum officially entered the presidential race 2024 on Wednesday after filing the relevant paperwork to run for the Oval Office.

The Republican candidate is set to kick off his campaign with an event in Fargo, North Dakota on Wednesday. He released a campaign video earlier this week, ahead of his official announcement.

“Anger, yelling, infighting – that’s not going to cut it anymore. Let’s get things done. In North Dakota, we listened with respect and we talked things out. That’s how we can get America back on track,” the governor said in the video.

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He is married to Kathryn Burgum.

Who is Kathryn Burgum?

According to the North Dakota governor’s official website, “Kathryn Burgum became First Lady on December 15, 2016, when her husband Governor Doug Burgum was sworn in as the 33rd Governor of North Dakota.”

She grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota, where her family was in the John Deere business for over 35 years. Her first job was at the family business working in the parts department.

She graduated with honors from Jamestown High School. She earned her undergraduate degree in retail business at Arizona State University and a Master of Business Administration degree in human resources from the University of North Texas.

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After finishing her studies, she went on to have a career in human resources and marketing across several industries, including retail, biotechnology, software, manufacturing, agriculture and real estate development.

One of her major agendas as first lady of her state has been to support and develop initiatives to eliminate the shame and stigma of the chronic disease of addiction in communities.

She has been open about her road to recovery for 17 years from addiction. She shares her personal experience and encourages others to do the same. She has strongly advocated the belief that addiction is a chronic disease and not a character flaw. Kathryn plays an active role in supporting the Office of Recovery Reinvented as the chair of the Advisory Council.

“My openness about my recovery has started what I hope will be a lifetime of advocacy. I am working to create opportunities for the people, families, and communities devastated by this disease,” she said. “With addiction, stigma puts up walls instead of building bridges. It is socially constructed, based on fear, and often includes inaccurate information. I believe addiction needs to be embraced like any other chronic, progressively fatal illness or disease before real changes can be made in our communities. And before the shame and stigma can be eliminated.”