Whitmer criticizes leaked statement by rival that she said Biden would lose Michigan

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, currently considered one of the Democratic candidates to succeed Joe Biden, sought on Monday to dispel rumors that she delivered a damning message to a senior campaign official for the president: that he could not win Michigan after his disastrous performance at last week’s debate.

According to Politico, she also reportedly told Biden campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon that she had ruled out challenging Biden – something she apparently emphasized in a statement on Monday.

“I am proud to endorse Joe Biden as our nominee, and I am 100% behind him in the fight to defeat Donald Trump,” Whitmer 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.”

Whitmer reiterated her message in a post on X: “Anyone who says I’m saying we can’t win Michigan is talking bullshit.”

The post included a link to donate to her own PAC, Fight Like Hell.

Whitmer reportedly spoke to O’Malley Dillon by phone on Friday after a day of intense speculation about whether she would be a front-runner if Biden could be persuaded to step down. However, the swing-state governor, who is in her second term, told Biden’s campaign manager that she “hates” her name being brought into play and that she is loyal to the president.

Interestingly, the other part of her message – the loss of one of the three states Democrats see as crucial to their victory – was leaked by a third party that Politico reporter Jonathan Martin described as “a potential rival to Whitmer for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.” This leak suggests bitter behind-the-scenes infighting among Democrats, who are now positioning themselves for a post-Biden moment that, some say, could come within days.

Losing Michigan would be a major blow after the state swung firmly back into the Democratic fold in 2020 and Whitmer won a 10-point lead over her Republican rival in 2022, securing her second term. She also led the party to a three-way victory and shut Republicans out of statewide office during the campaign – which should have made Michigan a far easier candidate for Biden than it was in 2020.

Whitmer, 52, is not the only young governor being considered as Biden’s successor: Others include Gavin Newsom of California, Wes Moore of Maryland, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Roy Cooper of North Carolina, whose term of office ends at the end of 2018.

However, Whitmer has attracted attention among donors and senior party members because of her two electoral victories and her clear popularity in the key Midwestern state. She has a personal story that includes revealing that she was a victim of sexual assault on campus, being the victim of a far-right kidnapping and murder plot, and enjoying personal popularity in Michigan that includes being the subject of a rap song called “Big Gretch.”

How rock-solid her commitment to Biden is may only become clear in the coming days. She loyally tweeted her support for the president and Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, but was not among the leading Democrats who appeared on Sunday morning television shows. Wes Moore of Maryland was the only governor to make such an appearance. CBS Face the Nationwhile ruling out any attempt to “seek” the nomination in 2024.

However, Whitmer will not disappear from television for much longer: she is publishing an autobiography, True Gretchon July 9, marking a campaign tour at just the right time as Biden continues to suffer from dwindling support among Democrats. The book, subtitled What I learned about life, leadership and everything in between, focuses on its motto “Get Shit Done,” providing another dramatic contrast to the Biden campaign’s themes of protecting democracy and highlighting the dangers of a second Trump presidency.

The book appears to have been written as an early attempt at a 2028 nomination, which would have worked out perfectly for Whitmer: She is term-limited and would leave office at the end of 2026, giving her a long runway for the nomination process. But it would also be rocket fuel for an impromptu campaign in 2024.

The pre-release promo states: “She tells stories about the outsized characters in her family, her lifelong clumsiness, the wild comments she’s heard on the campaign trail, her self-deprecating social media campaigns (including her appearance as a talking potato with lipstick) and the slyly funny tactics she uses to neutralize her opponents.” That suggests a candidate with a keen eye for modern social media campaign tactics as well as traditional petty politics.

Whitmer’s appeal is so great that former Democratic Congressman Chet Atkins of Massachusetts sent an email to his mailing list of friends and allies urging them to donate to Whitmer now while Biden considers his future.

However, Biden’s campaign team and the White House have rallied around the ailing president. On Sunday, he met his family at Camp David, where they had gathered for a photo shoot with Annie Liebovitz.

Despite many calls for the family to intervene, they instead urged him to continue, then blamed his debate prep team – and in particular the power couple of Anita Dunn, his top White House adviser, and Bob Bauer, his personal lawyer who impersonated Trump in prep sessions – for his disastrous performance.

The strongest statement of support came from Hunter Biden, who told his father that he was the man he knew best. The New York Times reported: “combative and in command of the facts.”