Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer dismissed the idea of a 2028 presidential bid on Thursday, saying that while “there will be a robust group of people running for president, I will not be one of them.”
During an interview on Fox 2 Detroit, Whitmer spoke about being term-limited, leaving office next year, and whether she has any idea about what she plans to do next.
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Whitmer said she was “looking forward to taking a little bit of a break” after leaving office.
Whitmer said she was “not jumping right into something” and that she had “gotten counsel” from former government officials.
She said she had spoken with former Rhode Island Gov. and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Whitmer, a prominent two-term governor from a key battleground state, has consistently been regarded as a leading prospective candidate in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.
She was a finalist in the 2020 vice presidential selection process under former President Joe Biden and has dedicated years to enhancing her national profile.
Later on Thursday, Whitmer added a disclaimer: “Never say never.”
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“You know, I never thought I would run for governor, so I guess I should know better than to say any of it,” she said, according to The Associated Press.
But Whitmer’s time in office has also been marred by a handful of high-profile blunders.
One example was the notorious appearance at Trump’s White House last year when she was caught lifting a folder to obscure her face as cameras in the room snapped photos.
For some time, Whitmer has been sending contradictory signals about her 2028 plans.
“I don’t know if I need to be the main character in the next chapter, but I want to have a hand in writing it, and I think I’ve got an important vantage point as the governor of an important swing state,” she told Canadian journalist Steve Paikin last fall.
“I will not be one of them in 2028…”
Governor Whitmer on possible presidential run in our one on one from Mackinac. pic.twitter.com/6vjZrJvI0R— Roop Raj (@rooprajfox2) May 28, 2026
Things are also heating up on the Republican side.
AtlasIntel has a new survey out with stunning results indicating there may be a new favorite to win the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2028.
The study, conducted between May 4 and 7 and including a sample of 2,069 American adults, found that a plurality (45.4 percent) of Republican respondents now choose Secretary of State Marco Rubio as their favorite to carry the GOP’s banner two years from now.
And what Rubio did after the news broke already has people talking.
Vice President JD Vance finished in second with 29.6%, having been the front-runner in the campaign for a long time, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) with 11.2%.
Another 10.3% of Republicans indicated their selection was not among the named options after DeSantis.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who is currently running to be the next governor of Ohio, came in fourth at 1.4%.
Fifty-one percent say they have a bad view of Rubio, while 46 percent say they have a positive opinion.
Vance is even more underwater, with 58% negative and only 37% positive.
The previous national poll by the polling firm, conducted last December, had Vance with a big margin over Rubio, 46.7% to 22.6%.
Earlier this month, President Trump asked a crowd assembled at the White House, “Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio?” before musing that it sounded “like a good ticket.”
“By the way, I do believe that’s a dream team. But these are minor details. That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance!” continued a seemingly half-kidding Trump.
While Rubio has publicly deferred to Vice President J.D. Vance regarding the 2028 presidential race, President Trump has repeatedly praised Rubio’s performance in recent months.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
