Why Whitmer Will Wait Till ‘28
The time is not now
Months ago, the Late Replacement Theory—that Democrats would replace Joe Biden as their 2024 presidential candidate—was viewed as a conspiracy. Fans of possible replacements, like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or California Gov. Gretchen Newsom, tended to whisper their candidate’s name, not shout it.
After Biden’s performance in that first debate with Trump, there are no quiet parts. Everything is being said out loud. In the space of 90 minutes, the Democrat Party went from “blue no matter who” to #NeverBiden.
With the eyes of the world watching, Weekend at Biden showed up to the debate stage—he with the faint voice and the blank stare. He showed himself unfit for command in a way that couldn’t be spun or yada yada’d away. Though the Democrats did try, by telling us first that Biden had a cold; then, that a 9 p.m. debate kept him up past his bedtime.
After debate night, the Late Replacement Theory entered the realm of conventional wisdom.
When people spoke Gretchen Whitmer’s name as a Biden replacement, they didn’t whisper it anymore. They shouted it online, and they spoke her name on TV. They said the thing: She’s Running.
But Gretchen Whitmer will not be the Democrats’ savior. Not in 2024, and not in 2028 either. Nobody in Lansing is allowed to tell you this, so I will.
This is the case against Big Gretch becoming the Dem’s 2024 presidential candidate.
First, Biden is still the best the Democrats have. Outside of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, name another Democrat with the national reach of Joe Biden. There isn’t one, and those guys have no more eligibility.
This campaign season, more than most, has seen lamentations from all sides. From Republicans and Democrats alike, the consensus is a question: “This is the best we can do?”
In a word, yes.
