Whitmer says she had ‘opening conversation’ about Biden VP pick

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said on Tuesday that she has had an “opening conversation” with Joe Biden’s campaign about her potential as a running mate pick for the former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

In an interview on NBC’s “3rd Hour of Today,” Whitmer revealed that she has had a “conversation with some folks” about the running mate slot, but said she did not see the discussion as particularly formal and is solely committed for the time being to her official duties as governor.

“It was just an opening conversation and it’s not something that I would call a professional, formalized vetting,” Whitmer told NBC’s Craig Melvin. 

“I am making a little bit of time to stay connected to the campaign, but the most important thing that I have to do right now is be the governor of my home state. That’s all that matters to me in this moment,” she said.

Whitmer is among a handful of women seen as a potential pick for the vice presidential slot on the Democratic ticket. Biden has already committed to choosing a woman as his running mate and has said that he is looking at around a dozen potential candidates for the position.

Other prominent figures seen as potential vice presidential picks include Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), as well as Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D). 

Biden has offered little information as to who specifically he is considering, though he has said that he wants to choose a running mate that is “simpatico” with him. He is also said to particularly value political experience — a quality Whitmer certainly has from nearly two decades of public service in state and local government.