Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Biden will lose her state, rejects speculation she could replace him: report

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has reportedly told the Biden campaign that the president’s humiliating performance at last Thursday’s debate cost her state’s electoral votes, while dismissing speculation that she plans to replace him on the Democratic ticket for 2024.

A source told Politico that Whitmer called Biden’s campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon on Friday night and sent her a “clear SOS” that the president could no longer win her state after the verbal exchange with former President Donald Trump.

In the phone call, she also tried to counter rumors that she wanted to oust the oldest president of all time from office, the news agency reported.

The report found that the leak came from a possible rival 2028 presidential campaign, underscoring the politically precarious position Whitmer found herself in.

“Anyone who says I’m saying we can’t win Michigan is talking bullshit. Here we go,” Whitmer’s campaign account responded on X on Monday afternoon, sharing a link to the governor’s Fight Like Hell PAC fundraising website.

An anonymous Biden adviser told Politico that “Whitmer in particular” – like other Democratic presidential candidates – is not “ready” for prime time.

“They would all love an easy sprint,” the adviser said of all the candidates who might try to succeed their party in the event of a contested nomination in August.

Representatives of the Biden campaign declined to comment to The Washington Post.

Whitmer, once a possible 2020 vice presidential candidate for Biden, is among a group of Democratic governors – including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker – who could replace the aging commander in chief.

An unnamed Democratic governor told Politico that “the mood is high” among this group, that “there is a lot of fear and a lot of people are almost sitting down with fear.”

The open-door moment also prevents members of the group from saying anything, publicly or privately, that could be perceived as undermining Biden.

Vice President Kamala Harris immediately defended the president after his weak performance, describing it as a “slow start” and, like many Biden allies on Capitol Hill, referring beyond the debate to the last three years of his term.

Other supporters of the president denounced former President Donald Trump’s numerous “lies” during the CNN debate in Atlanta – and dismissed concerns about Biden’s mental lapses, saying he was too focused on “one terribly bad night.”

But according to Politico, some critics are calling for campaign donations to PACs like Whitmer’s to “add momentum” to the Michigan governor’s potential 2024 candidacy.

“Over the next few weeks, party leaders and the press will be paying attention to who has the momentum and ability to beat Trump,” former Democratic Rep. Chet Atkins raged last week in an email to potential donors following the debate.

“A massive flood of donations, both large and small, to Gretchen Whitmer’s political committee will send a strong and clear message,” the email said. “So she can be ready on day one when the nomination process begins.”

Whitmer was reportedly unaware the email was sent, but will travel to San Francisco, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket this month to promote her new book, “True Gretch,” giving her further opportunities to woo potential voters should she change her mind about the 2024 election.