North Dakota Governor Burgum will take part in the Republican primary debate stage after injuring his leg

Milwaukee (AP) – Governor of North Dakota. Doug Burgum He says he plans to participate in the GOP presidential debate on Wednesday after he was injured playing basketball on Tuesday and his campaign wasn’t sure he would be able to appear on stage.

Burgum’s campaign posted a photo to X, formerly known as Twitter, of Burgum entering the stage on crutches during the candidate’s run earlier Wednesday. “I’m in” posted.

Burgum injured his Achilles tendon while playing basketball with members of his campaign on Tuesday and was taken to the emergency room. Campaign spokesman Lance Truver said earlier Wednesday that it was “unclear whether he will be able to stand in for the debate scheduled for Wednesday night in Milwaukee.” The infection was first reported by CNN.

Missing the two-hour debate would have been a major setback for Burgum, who is less well known The eight candidates He is expected to take the stage at the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee, home of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. The first debate of the Republican primary, which frontrunner Donald Trump has said he would skip, is Borgum’s best chance to present himself to voters.

Borgum, a wealthy businessman, then qualified for the debate Offer $20 gift cards to donors who made a $1 contribution to his campaign — helping him meet the number of donors set by the Republican National Committee for participation.

The 67-year-old governor had been involved in an accident Hip replacement surgery in 2021.