Doug Burgum’s campaigning on his small-town roots, and Arthur residents are all-in

ARTHUR, N.D. — A large stone welcome sign on the edge of Arthur, population 323, advertises itself as the

“Hometown of Gov. Doug Burgum.”

It’s a place where everyone knows everyone’s name, a “kind of Mayberry,” said Kelly’s Cafe owner Kelly Johnson.

While many small towns across the state struggle to attract business, in Arthur, an area off Main Street called The Mall holds a well-stocked general store, a small pharmacy and the cafe, nearly full at noon on Thursday, June 8, selling cheeseburgers and chicken enchiladas.

An advertisement announced bingo at Coach’s Corner every Wednesday. A block away along Main Street is a gas station and a mechanic shop, and all fall within the towering shadow of the old Arthur Farmers Elevator, now called Arthur Companies Inc.

Johnson remembers the day Burgum brought his family to his old home for a last meal there, which she catered. The Burgum family’s ties to the small town go deep, all the way back to Dakota Territory days.

She closed up shop for lunch on Wednesday and stayed home to watch a hometown boy announce his candidacy for president of the United States on television.

“It’s a long shot, but you got to start somewhere. Kudos to him for getting out there. He’s used to being the long shot,” Johnson said about Burgum’s chances at winning the Republican ticket against a growing number of candidates including former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and at least six others.

Sipping coffee at her kitchen table across the street from the old Burgum home, surrounded by books like one celebrating Arthur’s centennial and “Stars Over the Prairie,” written by Jessamine Slaughter Burgum, Shirley Nedrebo beamed while talking about watching Burgum grow up.

“I’ve watched that kid; I still call him kid,” Nedrebo chuckled. She is 87 years old and has lived her entire life in Arthur.

“I dearly love what he has to say about the Constitution and politics,” she said. “I’m going to vote for the man who can make a pencil, something you see everyday, some simple little thing, and I know he can make a pencil.”

She fondly showed the book Burgum’s grandmother,

Jessamine Slaughter Burgum,

wrote, remembering the day the pioneer woman gave it to her after completing a class at the Arthur United Methodist Church.

She talked of the town’s history, the connections between the longstanding families there, the old Arthur Farmers Elevator and her days of running a shop called The Store.

“Arthur is the type of community of ‘Let’s give it a try.’ Why not? It’s a why not, give me a try town. So Doug himself has a very definite ‘why not’ attitude,” Nedrebo said.

She said she sat in the bleachers when Burgum announced his candidacy for governor in 2016.

“(I) thought someone else would be the Republican candidate, but when Doug spoke, I knew it had to be him,” Nedrebo said.

Nearly finished with her coffee, Shirley Nedrebo’s daughter, Polly Nedrebo, called from Arizona.

“I want to run his campaign from Arizona,” said Polly Nedrebo, who formerly supported Trump.

“I watched him play basketball when I was maybe in grade school. I was a dirt poor farmer kid, but everyone treated everyone the same. I had more than one mom. I couldn’t be more proud of where I am from,” she said. “And I’m so proud of Doug. I know my mom’s heart is glowing, and I am backing him all the way.”

Newcomer to Arthur Dave Krout couldn’t fully unpack from his move from Colorado last September before neighbors and the entire town knew who he was.

“It’s a good town; they look out for each other here. I had to get away from the liberal crap in Colorado and found a listing for this house online,” Krout said. He stopped sweeping the driveway and pointed to the Nedrebo house, right next door.

“If anyone knows anything about Gov. Burgum, they would know,” he said. “There are good and bad Republicans, and him being a billionaire worries me, honestly, but as long as he votes correctly for the people who put him in office, I’d be happy to vote for him.”

Like Burgum’s wife, Kathryn Burgum, said before

the announcement on Wednesday,

the Burgum family has strong women in its history.

Shirley Nedrebo agreed with Kathryn Burgum. “All of these women in the whole community got together and worked for the good of the community,” she said, adding that the influence could be seen in the presidential candidate at a young age.

“My mom, I think, felt it. She ordered his newspaper. He had a newspaper when he was young. And the same way with the chimney sweep, here is a kid who was a chimney sweep, who would do that?” she said. “He would make a good pencil, and I think he would make a good president and not for the honor or glory of it.”

Through good times and bad, Johnson has owned her cafe for nearly 22 years. She stressed that if the townspeople hadn’t supported her, the business would have struggled more.

“Everything he (Burgum) talked about in his speech is all true. I know he’s proud of Arthur, and we’re proud of him,” Johnson said.
The town of Arthur felt like a ghost town the day Burgum announced his candidacy for president. Everyone traveled to Fargo’s Sanctuary Events Center to watch or went home to view the speech on television, Johnson said.

“We’re die-hards. Arthur takes care of its people. We’re a very lucky small town,” she said.

While Arthur’s welcome sign may read governor today, everyone in town who spoke to The Forum hopes the sign will soon read “President Doug Burgum.”