Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D), who has long been considered a contender for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s 2020 running mate, reportedly traveled to Delaware last weekend to meet with Biden ahead of his upcoming decision.
According to The Associated Press, two “high-ranking Michigan Democrats who spoke on the condition of anonymity” told the news agency of the brief visit, which happened on Sunday evening. The trip has since been confirmed by NBC News, although the details of the actual visit remain unclear.
Furthermore, AP reports that a chartered flight traveled from Lansing Capital Region International Airport to Delaware Coastal Airport on Sunday evening and returned roughly six hours later, according to flight records.
A spokesperson for Whitmer told AP that her office doesn’t “discuss her personal schedule,” and the Biden campaign did not provide the news agency with comment.
Whitmer was one of the first potential vice presidential candidates to receive widespread attention, and back in May, she told “Today” that she had engaged in informal talks about the position, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
“I am making a little bit of time to stay connected to the campaign, but the most important thing that I have to do right now is be the governor of my home state,” said Whitmer. “That’s all that matters to me in this moment.”
But as of recently, Whitmer has not been receiving as strong of attention as other vice presidential candidates, particularly some who have seen more buzz in the last few weeks, such as former National Security Adviser Susan Rice or Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA).
Whitmer, who has drawn headlines throughout the coronavirus pandemic, notably rebuked the Republican legislature back in late April by extending her own emergency powers after they refused to do it for her. She then used it to extend her stay-at-home policy.
“Defeating COVID-19 is an all hands on deck moment for our state, and I remain hopeful that Republicans in the legislature will stop the partisan games and start working with me to re-engage our economy safely and responsibly,” she said at the time.
The Democratic governor also recently declared racism in Michigan a public health crisis via an executive order.
“We have a lot of work to do to eradicate the systemic racism that black Americans have faced for generations, and it’s going to take time. But the most important thing we can do during this time is work closely with leaders across the state, in every community, to find the root cause of problems and work to eradicate them,” said Whitmer.
The online betting market PredictIt currently has Whitmer in third place for receiving the vice presidential slot. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) is in first place, and Susan Rice is in second place.
Biden is expected to make his final decision in early August.