One popular Democrat has asked that she not be considered as a potential replacement for the ailing Joe Biden during the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer is out of the shadow campaign.
The New York Times reports that the Midwestern governor, whom Biden wanted to be vice president over Kamala Harris, has said she will not seek the nomination in 2024.
As President Biden continued to work on Monday to tamp down Democratic calls for him to end his campaign, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, one of the most prominent officials whose name has been floated as an alternative, ruled it out.
Ms. Whitmer was asked in an interview with The Associated Press whether she would consider running in the hypothetical event that Mr. Biden stepped aside. She said no.
The speculation is “a distraction more than anything,” she said. “I don’t like seeing my name in articles like that because I’m totally focused on governing and campaigning” for the existing ticket of Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ms. Whitmer is one of several governors who are widely believed to have ambitions to run for president in a future election, and who have been repeatedly named as possible candidates in the event that Mr. Biden ended his campaign, which he has said forcefully that he will not do.
Whitmer may not be running for top billing herself, but it appears that she may be partnering with someone who could step in if Biden drops out. Over the holiday weekend, California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the Great Lakes State in a not-so-subtle move that screamed: “I’m helping Joe Biden and not positioning myself for president.”
The Associated Press reported that “Newsom offered a forceful defense of embattled President Joe Biden on Thursday, telling Democrats in Michigan that the 81-year-old president has the record and energy to win a second term despite widespread doubts about his ability to campaign or govern effectively.
Newsom’s pitch at a local Independence Day picnic is part of an effort from Biden’s reelection campaign and the White House to reassure party activists and the broader electorate that Biden is up to job after he appeared addled in his debate against former President Donald Trump.
‘This is a serious moment in American history. It’s not complicated,’ Newsom told Van Buren County Democrats, turning their attention to the prospects of another Trump presidency. ‘What I need to convince you of is not to be fatalistic, not to fall prey to all of this negativity. … Do more. Worry less.’
Newsom’s plea highlights the tenuous balance for Democrats and party lieutenants like the 56-year-old governor: He has long been a top Biden campaign surrogate and was among the governors who rallied behind the president after a private White House session on Wednesday. Yet Newsom himself is among those mentioned as potential replacements should Biden step aside and allow an open convention when Democratic delegates convene in Chicago next month.”
During his visit to Michigan, noted The AP, Newsom “sidestepped” questions about supporting Kamala Harris if the Democratic Convention moves to replace Biden.
“I don’t even like playing in the hypotheticals, because last night was about sort of locking down any doubt or ambiguity,” he said, referring to Biden’s session with Democratic governors. “And then we start running in different directions, zigging and zagging and all that kind of speculation. And that gets in the way of progress.”
