Democratic-NPL Chair’s statement on Burgum’s enormous political contributions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 18, 2022

Bismarck, ND – Democratic-NPL Chair Patrick Hart had put out this statement after recent reporting showed massive contributions by Gov. Burgum to the Dakota Leadership PAC.

“I wish this report were shocking, but it’s not. We’ve known for a while now that Doug Burgum wants to buy his own government. The governor likes to pretend that he’s some average North Dakotan, wearing his undirtied Carhartt for every ad he runs, but regular North Dakotans can’t donate millions of dollars to their own Political Action Committee.

As governor, he’s spent over $100,000 on donations to in-state Republicans, he’s also influenced the affairs of other states, donating thousands to GOP candidates and right-wing PACs across the country. While this pales in comparison the the amount he’s donated to the Dakota Leadership PAC and his own campaign in that time, this is still not something regular North Dakotans can do.

Another Donor to the Dakota Leadership PAC that stands out is Jim Roers who donated $20,000 after his successful re-election campaign in 2020. The Dakota Leadership PAC invested a lot of money into his race, so it’s not surprising that he would return the favor.

The rich make themselves richer and more powerful, while regular North Dakotans suffer and lose more and more influence. We need to send a message in November that North Dakota is not for sale. I hope that when North Dakotans see ads from the Dakota Leadership PAC they know it’s Doug Burgum trying to buy more politicians for himself.”

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