Whitmer says Michigan is winnable for Biden, denies ever saying otherwise

Governor Gretchen Whitmer reiterated Monday that she believes President Joe Biden can win Michigan in November, despite the president’s widely criticized performance in his first debate of the 2024 campaign with former President Donald Trump.

The Democratic governor is in a delicate position amid calls for the president to resign following his appearance at Thursday night’s debate. Whitmer is a major Biden supporter and co-chair of the national re-election campaign, but is frequently mentioned as a possible alternative.

Whitmer released a statement on Monday to put an end to rumors that she was seeking the nomination for the party’s convention in Chicago.

“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee, and I stand behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump,” she said. “Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he has the revenue: He has reduced health care costs, brought back manufacturing jobs, and is committed to restoring the reproductive freedom women lost under Donald Trump.”

The impetus came from an article in Politico Magazine that covered the looming bitter battle for the 2028 Democratic nomination. The article begins with an unnamed potential 2028 candidate claiming that Whitmer told Biden campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon that the swing state of Michigan was unwinnable. The Politico article also focused on Whitmer’s disavowal of efforts to force Biden to withdraw and her assurances that she had nothing to do with the talk.

Whitmer’s political adviser Helen Hare said in an email to the Michigan Public Radio Network that any claim that Whitmer ever said Michigan was unwinnable for Democrats was “false.”

“Governor Whitmer has said from the beginning that Michigan is always close,” she said, “and that’s why she has traveled across the state to help the Biden-Harris campaign spread its message.”

Recent polls show Trump ahead of Biden in Michigan, but the results are within the margin of error.