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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday that she believes American voters are ready to elect a woman as president, pushing back on a view former first lady Michelle Obama expressed last year, NBC News reported.
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Shop NowWhitmer made the remarks on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Asked whether a woman could be the best choice to beat a potential Republican presidential nominee in 2028, the governor answered, “I do.”
“Listen, I have got a lot of colleagues who I think are probably interested in running for president, and I’ve heard everyone say, ‘You can’t have this person or that person,'” Whitmer said.
She added: “I would put my money on any Democratic governor in the country against JD Vance or Marco Rubio in 2028,” naming the vice president and the secretary of state, two Republicans widely expected to run.
Obama made her comments in public remarks in 2025. “As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready,” she said. “That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not.”
The exchange is a disagreement over a remark. NBC’s report describes no action by Whitmer or by the Democratic Party concerning the former first lady.
Whitmer also did not deny that she is exploring a 2028 run. She said she will decide her next steps after leaving the governor’s office in January. “When I exit office … I’m going to take a little time off and figure out what I want to do next, so I’ve got nothing new to share with you, unfortunately,” she told moderator Kristen Welker.
Earlier this year, Whitmer said she would not be a candidate. “I will not be one of them in 2028, I can tell you that,” she said at the time.
Later the same day she walked it back: “I never thought I would run for governor. So I guess I should know better to never say never.”
Whitmer is among several women, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, widely speculated as possible 2028 contenders. Governors Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania are also regarded as potential candidates.
Whitmer used the interview to back Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor of Ohio, whose Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, aired an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a “liar.” The ad has drawn bipartisan criticism. Whitmer called what happened to Acton “absolutely abhorrent.”
