North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is the latest Republican to join the race for president in 2024, announcing his candidacy in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Tuesday evening and then a speech Wednesday morning in Fargo, North Dakota.

"America is facing new challenges and how we respond will define our future," he said at the Sanctuary Events Center in Fargo. "We need new leadership for our changing economy. 

“To unlock the best of America, we need a leader who's clearly focused on three things: economy, energy and national security. And that is why today I'm officially announcing I'm running for the president of the United States of America.”

Burgum, 66, filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission ahead of the speech. 

His op-ed and speech repeated many of the same points he made in a 3½-minute video earlier this week previewing his “big announcement.” Burgum told the story of rising up from a small North Dakota farming town, graduating from Stanford University, starting a billion-dollar software company in his home state and later becoming a governor who cut spending and taxes.

“We know we can do the same for America,” he said in his speech.

Burgum joins an increasingly crowded GOP field that also includes former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, ex-Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, ex-Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio host Larry Elder.

Burgum did not mention any of his Republican competitors in the Wall Street Journal piece or his speech, but he did criticize President Joe Biden on inflation, regulation, energy production, border security and illegal drugs. 

“Where we come from, when something isn't working, you stop and you try something new. That's common sense,” Burgum said. “Joe Biden has got to go.”

The two-term North Dakota governor listed what would be some of his top priorities if elected president: getting inflation under control, cutting taxes, lowering gas prices and reducing the cost of living. He also called for increasing domestic energy production and strengthening the military. 

“The world is changing,” Burgum wrote in The Wall Street Journal. “We face both unprecedented threats and tremendous opportunities over the next decade. How we respond will define our future as a country. Working together, we’ll achieve the best for America.”

Burgum lacks the name recognition compared to most of the other Republican candidates. A Morning Consult poll this week found that 62% of potential Republican primary voters had heard of Burgum, far more than any of the other 11 candidates or potential candidates listed.

Burgum told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead last month he believes “there’s a value to being underestimated all the time. That’s a competitive advantage.”