MILWAUKEE — North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum injured his leg playing basketball here on Tuesday, casting doubt on his participation in the first Republican presidential debate Wednesday night, two sources close to the governor told NBC News.
Burgum, 67, was taken to a local emergency room and later discharged, a campaign source said. The extent of his injury is unknown and it is unclear if he will be able to last the two-hour event.
The governor had been playing a game of basketball with his staff.
CNN was the first to report the injury and the uncertainty that he will be able to stand on stage for the debate.
Missing the first debate would be a setback for Burgum, a little-known candidate who counted on the primetime forum to boost his name recognition and sympathy. He was one of eight Republicans to qualify for the event, which skips frontrunner and former President Donald Trump.
Burgum made qualifying for the debate a major priority in the early weeks of his campaign. Taking advantage of his personal wealth — he’s a former software executive who once sold a company to Microsoft — he offered gift cards to small-dollar contributors in an effort to meet the donor threshold required to participate.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
