Whitmer makes it official — She won’t run for president in 2028

MACKINAC ISLAND — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is out for 2028.

After facing many questions over the last few years on whether she would run for higher office, and particularly the presidency, Whitmer told FOX-2 Detroit’s Roop Raj on Thursday morning at the annual Mackinac Policy Conference that a run for president was no longer in the cards.

“I’m also looking forward to getting a bit of a break and thinking about not jumping right into something,” Whitmer told the TV station. “I’ve gotten counsel from people who have made the transition … and that’s the advice. Just take a little time. So that’s what I’m going to do.”

When Raj pressed Whitmer that there was a long way until 2028, the governor said, “well, of course, there’s time.”

Poll: Whitmer remains popular as Michigan voters worry about inflation, jobs and the economy

“There will be a robust group of people running for president. I will not be one of them in 2028, I can tell you that,” Whitmer said.

The governor’s political instincts have been uniquely attuned to the waves of the Democratic Party and the electorate as a whole during her years in high office, and even if the wind is blowing at the party’s backs at the moment, she doesn’t seem affected by them.

Her decision is also interesting considering the policy conference’s own polling shows that Whitmer’s approval rating is at 52.2% among those surveyed.

Only 39% of voters surveyed disapproved of Whitmer’s job performance as governor in the twilight months of her second term.

Of note, the chamber said that the average net approval rating of governors in their second terms declines by 13 percentage points. Whitmer’s approval rating has increased more than 15 percentage points since the start of her first term.

Whitmer, who is term-limited, has been on the short list of potential presidential candidates since at least 2020, when she was among those mentioned as a possible running mate for Joe Biden.