Gretchen Whitmer said she wasn’t running for president; that stance lasted only until lunch

(SeaPRwire) –   Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated on Thursday that she has “nothing to announce” regarding a potential 2028 presidential campaign, walking back a comment she made just hours earlier that she would not run for president once she leaves office later this year.

“You know, I never imagined I’d run for governor, so I suppose I should learn not to make such statements. Never say never,” Whitmer commented when questioned later that Thursday about her earlier remarks.

“Right now, I have nothing to share,” Whitmer said in a stage interview after delivering her yearly address at the Mackinac Policy Conference.

For some time now, Whitmer has been seen by certain Democrats as a potential White House candidate, thanks to her decisive election wins in the tightly contested state that Republican Donald Trump won twice in presidential elections. Whitmer is term-limited and will finish her term at the end of this year.

Over the past months, Whitmer had given only careful responses about her political future. She appeared to settle the speculation in an interview earlier Thursday, telling Fox 2 Detroit: “I believe there will be a strong field of candidates running for president. I won’t be among them in 2028.”

However, she reversed course later that day, stating she wanted to “set the record straight.” Whitmer explained she was responding to the “100th question of the morning on the topic” and that she wasn’t making any plans at the moment.

“I suppose I’ll just smile and say, ‘I’m going to stay focused’ and leave it at that for the time being,” Whitmer said.

Whitmer has previously mentioned that she intends to take some time before figuring out her next political step.

“I’m not certain if I’ll run for office again. I just don’t know,” Whitmer said at an April breakfast event in Detroit. “But I’m also 54 years old— I still have plenty of energy left.”

The Mackinac Conference has turned into a center for presidential speculation, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin — both seen as potential 2028 candidates — also present.

“If there was a candidate I truly believed in, I’d fully support them,” Slotkin told The Associated Press. “But I’m not ruling out a run myself because I want to be part of the next generation of leaders.”