LANSING, Michigan (CBS DETROIT) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s name has been added to the list of possible Democrats to replace President Biden if he withdraws from the 2024 presidential race.
After a shaky debate performance last weekWhitmer’s name has been mentioned as a possible replacement if Mr. Biden drops out of the race. According to polls conducted last Friday by Data for Progress, Whitmer was mentioned as a remote option to replace the president.
In August, Democrats could hold an open or contested convention, but an expert told CBS News Detroit that is unlikely.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen unless Biden were to resign, and I don’t see him doing that,” said Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson, a professor at Wayne State University.
Sarbaugh-Thompson said the Democratic Convention is heavily dependent on the presidential primaries, which happened earlier this year in MichiganIf the candidate at the top of the list were to change, Biden would have to resign.
“There is no indication that he thinks that way,” she said.
Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes said if voters had wanted another option on the Democratic side, they could have voted differently in the presidential primary.
“[Discussing other candidates] is not productive at all because we have a candidate,” she said. “We elected a candidate that the voters elected, and that candidate is President Biden.”
Barnes said for her the choice is simple.
“There are no other options,” she said. “There’s President Biden and there’s Donald Trump. People who get their ballots are going to vote for President Biden because the alternative, Donald Trump, is just not acceptable.”
Whitmer was not available for an interview or to make a statement Monday, but has said repeatedly in the past that she will not run for president in the 2024 election.
Elle Meyers
