Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shut down 2028 presidential talk Thursday, telling a local Fox station she won’t be jumping into the next White House race after her term ends.
Whitmer made the comments in an interview with WJBK-TV (Fox 2) on the front porch of the Grand Hotel during the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.
“There will be a robust group of people running for president; I will not be one of them in 2028, I can tell you that,” Whitmer told Fox 2’s Roop Raj.
The governor said she’s looking forward to stepping back once her current job is over and taking time to think through what comes next instead of rushing straight into another campaign.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she will be not be among the 2028 presidential candidates: https://t.co/G9EocQbnlv
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 28, 2026
Whitmer said she has talked with several political figures about her future plans, including former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan. Buttigieg and Raimondo were on Mackinac Island this week for the Detroit Regional Chamber’s policy conference.
“That’s the advice everyone says: ‘Take a little bit of time,’ and so that’s what I’m going to do,” Whitmer said.
Spokespeople for the governor’s office said she was unavailable for an interview. A spokeswoman for Whitmer’s political operation did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
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