Burgum reflects on events leading up to GOP Debate in Milwaukee

(MILWAUKEE, WI) —  North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum said the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday night’s GOP Presidential Debate was interesting. The North Dakota Republican injured his leg on Tuesday night while playing a game of pickup basketball at Marquette University.

“It was great to have a chance to play some ball over at Marquette,” Burgum said. “I thought this would be a great way to unwind.”

Instead, the 67-year-old Burgum found himself in a Milwaukee emergency room after suffering the injury, which many were concerned would keep him out of Wednesday’s debate at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

Burgum said that, when people from North Dakota wished him well in the debate, he “took them too literally.”

The Governor said he was able to be evaluated by the orthopedic surgeon for the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

“I was hoping that, after the ER last (Tuesday) night, the initial thing was maybe that I had a partial tear (of the achilles tendon),” he said. Unfortunately, Burgum quickly learned that he had “fully blown” the tendon.

Burgum was able to stand during the entire debate. Officials with the debate said on Wednesday they would allow Burgum to sit during commercial breaks.