Whitmer stays quiet as Harris endorsements from other Democrats pour in
Update: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid later Monday morning. Read about that here.
Early Sunday morning, Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign — launched mere hours earlier after President Joe Biden announced his exit from the race — released a list of Democrats around the country who rallied behind her last-minute bid for the White House. A notable Michigan leader wasn't on it: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Whitmer served as Biden's campaign co-chair and top surrogate in Michigan, a critical battleground state. After Biden ended his campaign, spokespeople for Whitmer did not respond to repeated requests for comment on whether the Michigan governor would enter the race to challenge Harris for their party's nomination or join the ticket as the Vice President's running mate. They did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning on why Whitmer hasn't publicly endorsed Harris.
Whitmer in a social media post shared just one minute after Biden endorsed Harris to replace him thanked the President for his service but made no mention of the Vice President. As endorsement announcements from other Democrats poured in, Whitmer stayed silent.
Whitmer joined a campaign call with Harris' campaign staff on Sunday and gave her support to the Vice President, according to POLITICO. But the email from Harris' campaign sent a few hours after that article published did not mention Whitmer among the Democratic leaders who have united behind Harris to defeat former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, is the only Democratic member of Michigan's congressional delegation who hasn't endorsed Harris. She backed the movement calling on Democratic voters in Michigan to vote "uncommitted" in the state's presidential primary to protest Biden's Gaza policies.
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Among those holding statewide office, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II hasn't weighed in either. He would serve out the remainder of Whitmer's current term as governor that ends Jan. 1, 2027 if she leaves office. Similarly, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson hasn't publicly endorsed Harris. She serves as Michigan's chief elections officer, and unlike Whitmer, Benson did not publicly champion Biden's re-election campaign before it ended.
Many of the Democrats floated as possible Biden replacements announced their support for Harris instead, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. But Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker like Whitmer has not publicly indicated whether he supports Harris.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at [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: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stays quiet as Democrats endorse Kamala Harris
