Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s memoir “True Gretch” has been published; she has a chance to run for president one day

WASHINGTON – Even before the disastrous debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump led to calls for Biden not to run for re-election and sparked speculation about who might replace him, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whose new book, “True Gretch,” comes out Tuesday, was considered a possible Democratic presidential candidate – someday.

Whitmer is considered such a rising star that, the Sun-Times learned, she will be the keynote speaker at the Illinois Democratic Party’s main fundraiser in Chicago this September.

Her memoir comes at a time when Biden is on the defensive, trying to convince Democrats that he has the mental and physical capacity to do the job – and, most importantly, beat Trump. Biden’s next big test in his fight for political survival comes Thursday, when he holds a solo news conference as part of the NATO summit here.

It’s a coincidence that Whitmer’s book, subtitled “What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership and Everything in Between,” is coming out right now. Whitmer announced in April that she was working on it.

Whitmer is one of those being touted as Biden’s successor in the race for the presidential nomination, and her profile will rise even further on Tuesday when she launches a media offensive and a national reading tour.

The furore around Whitmer is getting louder. My analysis is that if Biden resigns, an ugly Democratic civil war will be triggered if Vice President Kamala Harris does not become the nominee. I’ve read reports that Whitmer is trying to squash conversations about her and 2024 by emphasizing her support for Biden.

Whatever the next few weeks, the nation will get to know Whitmer better.

Whitmer, 52, grew up in Michigan. After earning her bachelor’s and law degrees from Michigan State, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives and Senate and worked for a time as a prosecutor before being elected governor in 2018. She has two daughters and three stepsons.

Her book is as much a self-help guide as Whitmer’s stories are: of a rape in college – and her decision to talk about it in a speech on the Senate floor as part of her opposition to an anti-abortion law. Of Trump’s condescending insult when he called her “that woman from Michigan” because of her curfews during the Covid period. And of the plot in 2020 to kidnap and kill her.

More about Whitmer’s book

In hard times. “I have spent the first quarter of this century watching our politics move in uncomfortable directions of incivility and contention,” Whitmer writes, adding, “The world feels very depressed right now. War is raging in the Middle East and Ukraine, xenophobia and hatred of ‘others’ are on the rise, and political rhetoric has taken on apocalyptic tones. But we must find a way to keep moving forward. We must figure out how to do the next right thing, whatever that may be.”

Uplifting chapter headings. Who can’t use a dose of this: “Don’t let the bullies get you down. … Never give up. … Learn to listen. … Don’t take anything personally. … Try to understand. … You will never regret being kind. … Own up to your mistakes and forgive others for theirs.”

Partygoers. In the late 1980s, when she was in high school, she “associated with a nimble crowd” and “hung out with the partygoers.” She once vomited on her principal after getting drunk in the high school parking lot.

playlist. At the top is “Not Ready to Make Nice” by The Chicks, followed by “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen.

Bras. Whitmer wanted to nail her first State of the Union address. She had a lot to say on important issues. She rented a dress from Rent the Runway. Although her speech “went as well as I could have hoped,” she was attacked by the “fashion police,” whose scathing remarks included, “A push-up bra, for sure.” She also writes about a woman who told her she needed “better bras. Her breasts were too low. She was right.”

Whitmer and the Democrats of Illinois and Pritzker

Referring to Whitmer’s September keynote speech at the Illinois Democratic Party gala, DPI executive director Ben Hardin said, “We selected Governor Whitmer based on her reputation as the leader of a swing state,” with Michigan Democrats set to win control of both houses of the legislature and the governorship in 2022. Governor JB Pritzker and Whitmer, Hardin said, represent “the strength of the Democratic Party in the Midwest.”

I met Whitmer last March when she spoke for the Democrats at the Gridiron Club and Foundation Dinner. Referring to Pritzker, a possible presidential candidate, she made a witty comment about the Illinois billionaire: He is “the only man who has more gold bars in his house than Bob Menendez,” referring to the indictment against the Democratic senator from New Jersey that allegedly involved receiving gold bars in exchange for favors.