On the surface, Doug Burgum doesn’t come across as a preternaturally gifted politician. The most memorable features of the North Dakota governor’s presidential debate appearances were either his complaints about not getting enough airtime, his pocket constitution, or his injured leg. The most innovative element of his campaign may have been his scheme to offer $20 gift cards to donors to juice contributions. For the most part, he came across as an affable rich guy from the plains who might one day be a solid pick for secretary of energy. 

And yet, 10 months after his public finale on the debate stage at the Reagan Library, Burgum has not only emerged as a legit Trump veep contender but even a possible frontrunner according to some of my sources. On a gut level—the font of so many of Trump’s political instincts—it actually makes a certain amount of sense. Burgum, like the real estate heir turned populist at the top of the ticket, contains multitudes. He may have grown up in the Midwest, but he went to Stanford and sold his Great Plains Software company to Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion, checking a critical demographic box. He is worth over $100 million, according to Forbes, and can help Trump raise cash. (Burgum was the reported muscle behind software billionaire Tom Siebel’s recent $500,000 donation). With his jawline and thick head of salt-and-pepper hair, Burgum might not fully consummate Trump’s quest for a “Cary Grant”-style veep, but he at least models as the strong silent type.