Doug Burgum may have just blown a much-needed opportunity to establish himself in the crowded Republican primary race. The North Dakota governor was set to take the stage at Wednesday night’s GOP debate hosted by Fox News, but instead, he may miss the event entirely after injuring himself playing basketball with his campaign staff.
Burgum was taken to the emergency room on Tuesday where it was learned a suffered a “high-grade tear of his Achilles tendon.” The North Dakota governor is reportedly required to use crutches, which could prevent him from participating in the GOP debate.
Via CNN:
Burgum is focused on the debate, the Republican Party’s first of this primary season, and understands that as much as he’d like to participate, he would have to walk on stage and stand behind a podium for two hours, the source said.
“He is a total cowboy and isn’t phased by injuries and pain. His disposition is focused and tough. We’re going to see what happens at the walk-through and throughout the day,” the source told CNN. The governor is a lifelong athlete and is familiar with sports injuries, the source added.
Burgum lacks the name-recognition of the other GOP candidates and only made the cutoff to participate in Wednesday’s night debate through a controversial strategy of offering donors $20 gift cards in exchange for donations. Introducing himself to voters at an event where Donald Trump won’t be present to steal the oxygen from the room is crucial for Burgum to gain any sort of momentum in primary race. However, the governor’s injury may have cost him just that.
(Via CNN)