Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been consistent in addressing '24 presidential run
Even before President Joe Biden's weak debate performance led to calls for him to suspend his campaign and for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or another rising Democratic star to replace him, Whitmer faced speculation about her potential presidential ambitions to which she's responded that she's focused on leading Michigan.
Whitmer has stuck with Biden even as some in her party hope he may step aside. During his debate against former President Donald Trump, Biden fumbled some of his answers and sounded hoarse, prompting fresh concerns about his age. Whitmer — a national co-chair for Biden's reelection campaign — joined other governors at a meeting with Biden at the White House on Wednesday night, and emerged with a clear statement of support for the president: "(Joe Biden) is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him," she wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
Biden, for his part, has given no public indication he plans to give into the pressure to end his campaign, saying he plans to stay in the race.
But what does the future hold for Whitmer? While Whitmer at one point said she has no plans to ever run for president, she has left the door open to a future bid in subsequent interviews. Her forthcoming book has provided fodder for conversations about a possible presidential campaign in 2028.
Whitmer: No plans to run for president
Shortly after winning reelection to a second term as Michigan's governor by almost an 11-point margin, Whitmer shot down chatter about her potential aspirations to seek the presidency.
At the time, national coverage floated Whitmer as a possible candidate in 2024 if Biden didn't seek reelection despite her consistent commitment to serve out another four years as governor.
Asked where she might ever envision running for president, Whitmer told the Free Press, "I don't foresee that."
"The lure of Washington, D.C. has not been something that has ever drawn my interest or attention. What I love about state government is that you can do things right now and see the impact that it has on people's lives," she said in an interview in November 2022.
Shortly into second term, Whitmer continues to brush off speculation
Whitmer continued to fend off questions about a presidential run.
She said she hadn't "spent a whole lot of time" considering a White House bid in an interview with CNN's Kaitlin Collins that aired shortly after Whitmer's second inauguration.
"But you've spent some time thinking about it?" Collins asked.
"Well, because people ask me," Whitmer said, laughing. "So briefly." She said she wasn't sure she'd ever run for another office again and wasn't making plans for a future campaign.
She reiterated the response in another interview on the network that aired in February 2023. "Even on the hardest days, I feel really lucky to be the governor of the great state of Michigan. That is 100% percent my focus. I'm not making plans for 2028 or any — anything beyond what I'm going to do in this next four years," she told CNN's Jake Tapper.
But what if Biden bows out?
After Biden announced his decision to seek another term and Whitmer took on a leading role as a surrogate for his reelection campaign, she was asked to contemplate the scenario of challenging the incumbent or stepping in if he bowed out of the race.
Pointing to Democrats who wanted an alternative to Biden this year, a reporter for The Atlantic in a story published in June 2023 asked Whitmer why she didn't want to give them one.
"You know, there are a lot of really talented Democratic leaders all across the country," Whitmer said. Asked about the possibility if Biden decided to exit the race, Whitmer responded by saying, "He's running!"
"OK, but you saw him fall the other day," reporter Mark Leibovich said. "Did your thinking, in that split second before Biden got up, change at all?"
"No!" Whitmer said.
2024 Presidential Election: Biden's rocky debate performance prompts new calls for Whitmer to step in
Talk of Biden exit heats up post-debate
Less than a week before Biden's rocky debate performance would send some Democrats into a panic, the New York Times published an interview with Whitmer in which she again wouldn't say whether she's running for president in 2028. "I don't know what the heck I'm going to do in 2028. So you can ask, but that's the honest answer," she said.
But when Biden-Trump debate caused alarm among some Democratic donors and politicians, the question for Whitmer quickly became whether she might consider replacing him as her party's nominee at the top of the ticket this year if Biden stepped aside.
Asked about that possibility, Helen Hare — a spokesperson for the Whitmer political action committee raising funds to support Biden's reelection campaign — wrote in an email to the Free Press: "Joe Biden is our nominee and the Governor is proud to support him."
Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gretchen Whitmer consistently knocks down presidential speculation
