Michigan Democratic Party responds to calls for Governor Whitmer to run in 2024 presidential election

LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s name has been added to the list of possible Democrats who could replace President Biden should he withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

After a shaky debate performance last weekWhitmer’s name is being floated as a possible replacement if Biden drops out of the race. A Data for Progress poll last Friday listed Whitmer as one of the least likely options to succeed the president.

There could be a contested or open Democratic convention in August, but one expert told CBS News Detroit that is unlikely.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen unless Biden resigns, and I don’t think he’s resigning,” said Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson, a professor at Wayne State University.

Sarbaugh-Thompson said the Democratic Convention relies heavily on the presidential primaries, which happened earlier this year in MichiganA change in the leading candidate would require Mr Biden’s resignation.

“There is no indication that he thinks that way,” she said.

Lavora Barnes, chairwoman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said if voters had wanted another option on the Democratic side, they could have voted differently in the presidential primary.

“(Discussing other candidates) is not productive at all because we have one candidate,” she said. “We elected a candidate that the voters elected, and that candidate is President Biden.”

Barnes said the decision was easy for her.

“There are no other options,” she said. “There is President Biden and there is Donald Trump. When people get their ballots, they will vote for President Biden because the alternative, Donald Trump, is simply not acceptable.”

Whitmer was not available for an interview or comment on Monday, but has repeatedly stated in the past that she will not run in 2024.