Whitmer Says She Is ‘Not A Part Of The Vetting’ For Harris Running Mate

Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Monday morning that she is not being vetted to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, adding 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. The Michigan governor traveled to New Hampshire to campaign for Harris last week, and she will also be on the campaign trail for Harris in Pennsylvania later on Monday. Whitmer threw cold water on the VP rumors, however, telling 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, 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,” she added.

Asked by Lemire how people are responding to Harris’ presidential campaign, Whitmer replied, “I think people are excited,” adding 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. I’m grateful that in this moment … he is passing the torch and uplifting a new generation of leaders,” Whitmer said.

“It’s also gotten a lot of energy. 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,” she added. “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’ 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.