On this episode of Plain Talk, Gov. Doug Burgum addressed criticism he's faced for spending millions, much of it his own money, on promoting his preferred slate of candidates in the North Dakota Republican Party's recent primary election.
Some have started using the nickname "Boss Burgum."
State Rep. Rick Becker, R-Bismarck, referred to Burgum's efforts as "crap."
"To say that money buys elections in North Dakota is a little bit insulting to the people of North Dakota," Burgum said in response. "The citizens of North Dakota are smart and they can see through that."
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"There's so much more than money in politics," Burgum added, arguing that the candidates he backed won because they persuaded voters.
"People win in North Dakota when they've got the right message," he continued.
Some have suggested there is growing discord between Burgum and U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a fellow Republican. These suggestions have sometimes come with speculation that Burgum might challenge Cramer for his Senate seat.
"I'm trying not to laugh," Burgum said when I asked him about that, saying he would not ever think of challenging Cramer.
In fact, he's not interested in a job in Congress under any circumstances. "The last thing in the world I would want to be is a senator or congressman," he said.
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Rob Port, founder of SayAnythingBlog.com, is a Forum Communications commentator. Reach him on Twitter at @robport or via email at rport@forumcomm.com .
