Michigan Democratic Party responds to calls for Gov. Whitmer to run in 2024 presidential race
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's name has been added to the list of possible Democrats to replace President Biden if he steps away from the 2024 presidential race.
After a shaky debate performance last week, Whitmer's name is being tossed around as a possible replacement if Mr. Biden were to bow out of the race. Polling conducted last Friday by Data for Progress had Whitmer listed as a distant option to replace the president.
In August, Democrats could have a contested or open convention, but one expert told CBS News Detroit that's unlikely.
"I don't really see that happening unless Biden were to step down and I don't see him stepping down," said Wayne State University professor Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson.
Sarbaugh-Thompson said the Democratic Convention relies heavily on the presidential primary, which happened earlier this year in Michigan. Changing the candidate at the top of the ticket would require Mr. Biden to step down.
"The indications are not that he's thinking that way," she said.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said that if voters wanted another option on the Democratic side, they could have voted differently in the presidential primary.
"[Discussing other candidates] isn't productive at all because we have a candidate," she said. "We have chosen a candidate the voters have chosen, and that candidate is President Biden."
Barnes said for her, the choice is simple.
"There are no other options," she said. "There is President Biden and there's Donald Trump. Folks when they get their ballots, are going to choose President Biden because the alternative, Donald Trump, is just not acceptable."
Whitmer was not available for an interview or to make a statement on Monday but has repeatedly said in the past she is not running in 2024.
