Michigan’s Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer has revealed that she is not being considered as a running mate for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
The governor said on Monday morning that she is not “part of the vetting” process to be Harris’ running mate.
Whitmer added that she told the Harris campaign she “made a commitment to serve out my term as governor in Michigan.”
Speculation surrounding Whitmer as a potential VP pick has swirled in recent weeks.
Whitmer traveled to New Hampshire to campaign for Harris last week.
She will also be on the campaign trail for Harris in Pennsylvania later on Monday.
Whitmer threw cold water on the VP rumors, however.
She told MSNBC host Jonathan Lemire that she is “not a part of the vetting.”
“I have communicated with everyone, including the campaign, that I’ve made a commitment to serve out my term as governor in Michigan,” Whitmer said.
“I can be an excellent ally to a President Harris and I can be a great co-chair of the Harris campaign from my place as governor.
“So I am not a part of the vetting.”
While Whitmer ruled herself out as VP contender, she told MSNBC:
“It would be exciting to have two women on the ticket.”
“But guess what, there are a lot of great women in this country who are leading, and we’ve got a deep bench right now,” she added.
“So I’m excited to be among our high watermark of eight strong Democratic women governors in this country…
“Everyone one of them could add something to this ticket.”
Asked by Lemire how people are responding to Harris’ presidential campaign, Whitmer replied:
“I think people are excited.”
Whitmer added that she believes Harris “is going to inspire a lot of people to get activated who maybe were not yet.”
“President Biden served our country with dignity and honor for decades, and he’s made huge personal sacrifices to do that,” Whitmer said.
“I’m grateful that in this moment … he is passing the torch and uplifting a new generation of leaders.”
“It’s also gotten a lot of energy,” she added.
“I can see it on the ground in Michigan.
“I saw it in New Hampshire when I was there at the end of last week.
“We’re seeing more people volunteering – more people contributing to the success of this campaign.
“It is still going to be a close race.”
With Whitmer seemingly out of the consideration to be Harris’s running mate, the list of names believed to be the frontrunners for the VP slot grows shorter.
Harris has reportedly narrowed her VP contenders to a shortlist that includes Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
As Revolver News notes, the Harris campaign is only vetting white males for the role because Democrats believe swing state voters are sexist and racist.
READ MORE – Georgia Swing Voter Drops Hammer on Kamala Harris
