Is Gretchen Whitmer Back In?
Last year, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signaled that she was considering not joining the 2028 Democratic primary at all.
In fact, some of Whitmer’s top staff members reportedly began looking for new jobs, believing there might not be a presidential campaign to join once Whitmer leaves office next year.
Many observers had expected 2025 to be the year for Whitmer to adopt a national role of resistance against Trump, but instead, she stepped away from the limelight, decreased her media appearances, and batted away questions about a presidential bid. At one point, she said, “I don’t know if I need to be the main character in the next chapter.” Whitmer refused to outwardly criticize the president and even hugged him after he announced Michigan would get a new fighter jet mission. (RELATED: Is Gretchen Whitmer Backing Down From 2028?)
But in this new year, Whitmer has flipped all that on its head.
Whitmer seems to have either genuinely moved away from running for president last year or been downplaying herself for fear of peaking too soon.
This weekend, Whitmer will make a high-profile move that will strongly indicate her desire to take on a national role: She will speak at the Munich Security Conference. Raising the stakes for the foreign visit, other Democrats eying the presidency are also speaking at the conference. Most notably, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Democratic frontrunner, will be making his first appearance at the conference, setting up what could be another preview of the 2028 Democratic primary race. (RELATED: Whitmer Says America Is Ready for a Female President)
The two previously faced off, unofficially, when they both spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month. That was far from the first time Newsom had traveled internationally and seized the mantle of leading U.S. Democrat. But facing off against Whitmer brought a new twist and a foretaste of what happens when a progressive Californian faces off against a Michigan politician who signals centrism (even though Whitmer is really just as progressive as Newsom). Newsom, however, seemed to seize all of the spotlight and drown out Whitmer’s debut appearance on the international stage. Perhaps Whitmer will hold her own more in Munich. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom’s ‘Self-Puffery’ Gets Him in Trouble With David Axelrod)
Newsom and Whitmer will be joined in Munich by possible 2028 hopefuls Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will also be making an appearance at the conference. The Democrats will arrive with the hope of strengthening their foreign policy chops and signaling their readiness to take on a global leadership role. Likely, they’ll seek to assure America’s allies that all will return to normalcy once Democrats take back power.
The other major signal Whitmer sent out this year that she wants to seek the presidency came last week when she launched a Substack. Her first post reads as a campaign stump speech.
Whitmer first explains that she never “felt destined for politics” — a far cry from Gavin Newsom’s early years — but that she discovered her calling after her dad, who died earlier this year, encouraged her to try out an internship at the state Capitol. She then decided to run for the state House when she was 28 “because I knew I wanted to roll up my sleeves and solve problems.”
Whitmer explained: “I was young, so it was just that simple for me, and honestly, it still is. I wanted to get things done that make people’s lives better.” This, she says, is the vision she has followed her whole career.
She goes on to describe her focus on bipartisan work that helps Michigan families and how she has sought to do the right thing instead of “playing for a scoreboard that doesn’t actually exist.”
These values are missing from today’s politics, she says — with the implication being that she could be the one to revive them.
The Michigan governor goes on to rattle off her accomplishments and then say, tellingly, “I know that our successes in Michigan can be replicated nationwide.” She describes how she was just elected to the major position of vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association — another sign of her national ambitions — and how she is seeking to do everything possible to help Democrats succeed in the midterms.
Whitmer also took a stronger stance against Trump this week than she has previously during his second term, when she spoke out against Trump’s threat of blocking the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit. On Tuesday, she told reporters, “It is important that it continues to move forward and open up on time. And that’s my expectation.”
Her newly proposed budget also speaks of a politician more interested in how the budget will look during a campaign than in what it will do for the state long-term. Whitmer proposed raiding the state’s rainy day fund to the tune of $400 million, setting up Michigan for distress if a recession arrives anytime soon, but allowing her to be able to tout accomplishing more in her last year in office. Seeming in particular like an obvious grab for Michiganders’ support in a primary campaign and less like an economically good idea is the handout to baby boomers she just announced. Whitmer said she wants to give seniors a refund of 10 percent of their annual property taxes. Whitmer said the money could be used “for groceries, gas, or gifts for the grandkids,” but the parents of those young children are much more likely to actually need that money for said young children for necessities than the grandparents need it for gifts. Boomers hold half of all wealth in the U.S., but of course, they also vote at higher rates than other generations.
Whitmer has also made one other major move to prepare a presidential bid this year. In a well-timed comment, she disputed former First Lady Michelle Obama’s claim that America isn’t ready for a female president. Whitmer said, “I love Michelle Obama” and “the last thing I want to do is disagree with her,” but “I think America is ready for a woman president.” She pointed to the success that female candidates had in 2025, including Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill. What was, of course, unsaid was that Whitmer herself could seek to be America’s first female president.
Whitmer seems to have either genuinely moved away from running for president last year or been downplaying herself for fear of peaking too soon. Whatever the reason for her shyness, her lack of challenging Trump appears to have alienated her from would-be Democratic supporters. Perhaps she’s hoping voters will care more about her governance than her media appearances in 2025.
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