A report by Politico’s Jonathan Martin included a claim that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer privately stated President Joe Biden couldn’t win her state after his debate performance. On Monday, Whitmer vehemently denied this, saying anyone making such a claim was “full of shit.”
In a tweet posted on Monday, accompanied by a video in which she campaigns for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Whitmer wrote: “Anyone who claims I would say that we can’t win Michigan is full of shit. Let’s go.” She also linked to her Fight Like Hell PAC.
To reinforce her support, Whitmer provided a longer statement to The Detroit News: “I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100% in the fight to defeat [former President] Donald Trump. Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he’s got the receipts: he’s lowered health care costs, brought back manufacturing jobs and is committed to restoring the reproductive freedom women lost under Donald Trump.”
Martin’s Politico article, also posted on Monday, covered Whitmer dismissing calls for her to replace Biden as the Democratic candidate—a movement known as “Draft Gretch”—but also mentioned a mysterious call he received with a dire warning for the president. The article began with Whitmer’s call to Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon:
Whitmer used the call to reiterate her commitment and willingness to help the president but also voiced her concern about how much more difficult the campaign would be now for Biden, according to a person familiar with the call.
More revealing is how word of the call reached Martin: from someone close to a potential 2028 Whitmer rival for the Democratic presidential nomination. This person claimed Whitmer had phoned O’Malley Dillon with an unambiguous SOS, conveying that Michigan was no longer winnable for Biden in the wake of the debate.
This political maneuvering highlights how eager Whitmer’s rivals are to portray her as disloyal to Biden during a critical moment. It also underscores the precarious situation for the Democratic governors who are eager to succeed Biden but are wary of being seen as disloyal.
