LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer easily won reelection in November 2022, but that does not mean she’s forced to stick around in Michigan until the end of her second and final term in office.

National media outlets have been chattering for months about the possibility of a Whitmer presidential run if the Democrat Party sees President Joe Biden as a liability, or is deemed mentally unfit to run a second time. In addition, several proverbial millstones hang around Biden’s neck. Those include inflation, supply chain problems, the endless financial backing of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, energy dependence, and ongoing criminal investigations into deals made by both he and his son, Hunter.

MORE NEWS: IRS Documents: Brenda Tracy Didn’t Make Money Running Her Nonprofit

Another problem for President Biden? Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been deemed ineffective and unlikeable by numerous pundits.

Perhaps Whitmer’s November victory served as the healing balm to the sting of being passed over for vice president in 2020 since Biden backed himself in a corner with his declaration of picking a “woman of color” as his running mate.

Now, Whitmer may be positioning herself to be the national face of the Democrat Party. A recent article in The Atlantic asked the question, “Why Not Whitmer?” and although some people argue Whitmer’s policies have devastated Michigan, her actions over the last seven months indicate she is not done with the political scene.

Whitmer continues to “Fight Like Hell”

For starters, consider Whitmer’s “Fight Like Hell” Political Action Committee (PAC) she established earlier this month. “Fight like hell” is a phrase Whitmer used ad nauseum during the months following the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court.  Reproductive freedom, which is code for abortion up through all nine months of pregnancy, is a major platform of the Whitmer administration. Abortion rights will undoubtedly strike a chord with American women should Whitmer choose to go out on the campaign trail.

 

MORE NEWS: At Charlie Kirk Memorial, Hillsdale’s Dr. Larry Arnn Honors Him As “One of the Best I Ever Saw”

 

Whitmer indulges the LGBTQ+ community

Whitmer boasts herself as a longtime ally of the LGBTQ+ community and says the issue is personal for her. In an effort to combat Michigan’s recent population decline, Whitmer formed a commission to investigate the reason behind it and offered LGBTQ+ people to leave states with “bigoted” politicians and move to Michigan.

 

 

Whitmer’s “Fix the Damn Roads” campaign promise rivals Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s record

Whitmer’s main 2018 campaign promise hinging on one policy – to fix Michigan’s crumbling roads. Based on the orange cones going up and the press releases her office is sending out, her administration is “getting things done.” Buttigieg, the former South Bend mayor hand-picked by Biden to manage the nation’s infrastructure, has failed to address the supply-chain problems and numerous train derailments.

Whitmer likes to travel overseas

Nothing creates the illusion of presidential prowess like a trip to Europe. Actually, make that three trips to Europe. That’s how many times Whitmer has crossed the pond in 2023. She spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January. In May, Whitmer toured Austria and Latvia and visited National Guard troops stationed there. Earlier this month, Whitmer jetted off to France and Germany with members of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and struck deals in France to bring an engineering firm to Oakland County. Whitmer made these trips with just days to go before the deadline for finalizing Michigan’s 2023-24 budget.

Whitmer brings China to Michigan

Speaking of the MEDC, Whitmer has no qualms about giving taxpayer money to Chinese Communist China-based companies. The Gotion electric vehicle battery plant in Big Rapids is scheduled to break ground in August despite pushback from residents. The future site of the Ford Blue Oval project in Marshall is facing similar scrutiny among local residents along with recall petitions against rezoning for the plant. A similar story is playing out in Eagle Township over a proposed megasite there. A fourth megasite project is being eyed in Flint. Regardless of how well these projects are received in Michigan, Whitmer could spin it into a resume builder on the campaign trail.

Whitmer throws a bone to small businesses

Whitmer’s relationship with small businesses in Michigan is in need of repair. Starting in March 2020, Whitmer instituted some of the strictest COVID-19 lockdown measures in the country. Among other things, Whitmer closed down restaurants and bars, limited them to take-out only or limited seat capacity to months. Versions of those orders did not officially end until the Summer of 2021. Her administration went after Owosso barber Karl Manke and Holland pizzeria owner Marlena Pavlos-Hackney who chose to defy Whitmer and open their businesses anyway.

According to a press release from Whitmer’s office this week, a new Small Business Support Hubs program is launching which would support “Michigan’s small businesses that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.” Whitmer explains that the program will deploy a one-time appropriation of $75 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to bring resources to small businesses and provide funding for grants and entrepreneurial operations hubs.

Will Gov. Gretchen Whitmer run for president? Right now, it’s anybody’s guess.