Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she is not being vetted as a potential running mate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
During a Monday appearance on MSNBC, Whitmer said she told Harris' team that she was committed to serving the remainder of her term as governor, which is set to end on Jan. 1 2027.
“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," Whitmer said.
However, the Michigan governor expressed interest in Harris choosing a female running mate.
“It would be exciting to have two women on the ticket," Whitmer said. “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, so I’m excited to be among our high watermark of eight strong Democratic women governors in this country."
"Every one of them could add something to this ticket,” she added.
WATCH:
When asked if Michiganders were receptive to Harris' candidacy for president following President Joe Biden's recent exit from the race, Whitmer said there was excitement, adding Harris would "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 continued. "I’m grateful that in this moment … he is passing the torch and uplifting a new generation of leaders."
Whitmer said she had also seen "energy" on the ground throughout the state.
“I saw it in New Hampshire when I was there at the end of last week,” she continued. “We’re seeing more people volunteering, more people contributing to the success of this campaign. It is still going to be a close race.”
Aside from Whitmer, other Democratic figures speculated to be under consideration as Harris' running mate include Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier this month, Whitmer appeared to downplay Biden's concerning debate performance with former President Donald Trump in late June.
When host Colbert brought up the response to Biden's debate, Whitmer jokingly asked, "What debate?"
Colbert then asked Whitmer if she had seen the debate, to which she replied, "I’ve seen clips of the debate."
“You didn’t watch the debate?” Colbert pressed.
The Michigan governor chuckled and said she missed the event because she was on the West Coast with colleagues at a fundraiser.
“I forgot, they don’t have television in California,” Colbert joked.
The late-night host then asked whether Whitmer thought Biden should bow out of the race or remain the Democratic nominee, though Whitmer changed the subject saying, "I like your tie."
Whitmer then conceded Biden's debate performance was "lousy" and "rattled a lot of people," though defended Biden.
"I spent some time with the president in the White House with a number of my colleagues shortly after the debate. I talked to him this past weekend with all of the other vice chairs of his campaign, co-chairs, and, you know, he’s up for this," Whitmer said. “He’s up for the job for the next four years, and I am working my tail off on his behalf."
