Democrat Gretchen Whitmer Files Paperwork To Explore Run For Governor
LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Former Senate Democratic leader Gretchen Whitmer has filed paperwork Tuesday to create a committee to look at a run for governor in 2018.
Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick says Whitmer's filing has been expected for some time however, the timing is interesting, coming on the heels of Republican Bill Schuette's most recent nod toward his expected run for the office.
"The timing is interesting," says Skubick. "Yesterday, another potential candidate Bill Schuette, a Republican ... announced that he wanted to be a part of the conversation. Apparently, Whitmer has seen his conversation and raised him one, by actually filing papers to create this committee."
Filing paperwork to create a committee does not automatically mean that Whitmer will run for the office, only that she will be able to raise money to run for that office in 2018.
Schuette has acknowledged the difficulty of a Republican winning the governorship given the cyclical nature of politics and voters' desire for "change."
"To get a third Republican term is not easy," Schuette said. "It will be very difficult. But it needs to be about big ideas, bold ideas and it can't be small. It has to be, 'How do you launch Michigan for another decade of growth in terms of jobs and paychecks and opportunity?' That needs to be the discussion."
He said he was "really encouraged" by what Snyder, the GOP-led Legislature and other top Republicans have accomplished, but more must be done to keep people from leaving the state, to attract new residents and to grow the economy.
Current governor Rick Snyder will be term-limited out of office in 2018.
(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
