Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said in a weekend interview that regardless of early state election polling, November’s presidential election is going to be “close” there.
Speaking with Margaret Brennan during a Sunday segment on CBS News’ “Face The Nation,” Whitmer gave her analysis in response to a question about President Joe Biden’s polling weakness for the election ahead. She called Michigan a purple state and said it was “absolutely” up for grabs by either the Democrat president or the eventual Republican nominee.
“I think everyone should always focus on Michigan,” Whitmer told Brennan. “It’s always going to be close in this state. Even though we did something that hadn’t been done in 40 years by flipping the House and the Senate and all Democratic-controlled at the moment.”
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warns Biden could face protesters in Michigan when he visits https://t.co/l1XWdrsFWQ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 23, 2024
“It’s — the work is never done,” the Michigan governor added. “You cannot make any assumptions about what the next election is going to bring, based on the last one in a state like this. You got to show up. You got to do the work and show people that you really care about them.”
In response to questions about Biden’s polling weakness on the economy with voters, Whitmer admitted that the cost of living is still too high and that homes are too unaffordable for young people. She also criticized the president for his unprecedented lax border policy, calling it an “emergency and it’s not been working for a long, long time.”
BREAKING:@joeBiden reportedly wants Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer @gretchenwhitmer to be his 2024 running mate instead of @KamalaHarris.
Biden is reportedly pressuring Kamala to remove herself and has told his advisors that “she is not up for the job of being VP”.… pic.twitter.com/Mh4HSywLEi
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) January 23, 2024
In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between President Biden and Donald Trump earlier this month, the former president led the current one by 8% with 10 months to go until the Nov. 5 election, according to a new statewide poll commissioned by The Detroit News and WDIV-TV (Channel 4).
Moreover, the survey of 600 likely general election voters this November found that 17% of respondents agreed the electorate should hand Biden a second term.
“If I were a Democrat in Michigan, I would be breaking the emergency fire alarms in the White House and demanding to know what the plan is for Michigan,” said Richard Czuba, founder of Lansing-based Glengariff Group, which conducted the poll. “Because these numbers are very bad for any incumbent of any party.”
