Gretchen Whitmer releases slate of endorsements as shadow 2028 race takes shape

The 2024 election will officially be underway in just a few weeks, as Iowa voters head to caucus on 15 January. But the shadow 2028 presidential campaign, at least among Democrats, appears to be taking shape as well.

Speculation about the next presidential election cycle kicked into second gear last month when California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has repeatedly insisted that his name will not be in the running for the 2024 election, appeared onstage for a rare moderated debate with Ron DeSantis. The Florida governor remains a candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination, but continues to significantly trail frontrunner Donald Trump in both national and state-level polling.

Mr Newsom’s debate-stage sparring with Mr DeSantis led many to believe that he holds his own national ambitions. Further evidence for that argument can be found in the form of his recent official travel abroad to meet with the leaders of Israel and China.

But the California Democrat is hardly the only one taking very public steps towards securing a national profile among their party. On Tuesday, Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer released a slate of congressional endorsements through her Fight Like Hell PAC for roughly two dozen centre-left House members; the majority were in key presidential battleground states. Just one was from her own home state.

The list includes Hillary Scholten of Michigan, Susan Wild and Chris DeLuzio of Pennsylvania, Jahanna Hayes of Connecticut, Emilia Sykes of Ohio, Steven Horsford of Nevada, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Lauren Underwood of Illinois.

Ms Whitmer’s resume would be a powerful one in a presidential race. A leader of a purple state who was re-elected through her management of the Covid-19 pandemic, the governor would have a strong case for her ability to win key states that eluded Democrats in 2016 and are once again thought to be on the table in 2024.

The governor said in a statement accompanying the endorsements: “I started Fight Like Hell in order to do everything I can to support candidates up and down the ballot, like President Biden and Vice President Harris, who are fighting like hell for everyday Americans and the will of the majority. Now, I’m excited to announce the endorsement of eight candidates who similarly embody these ideals, and have proven their dedication as members of Congress to addressing kitchen table issues and defending our everyday freedoms. Each and every one of these U.S. representatives has been a champion for their constituents, and I’m committed to helping them secure re-election in 2024.”

Her re-election in 2022 came at a significant margin — nearly 10 points — over her GOP challenger, Tudor Dixon. The victory was seen as both a rebuke of Trump-style conservatism as well as the anti-abortion movement in the state, as Ms Dixon held fast to a hardline position on the issue.

The governor’s brand has remained strong through 2023. An Emerson College poll in October found her running 10 points ahead of President Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic 2024 nominee, in her state.

Last week, she delivered a policy victory for abortion rights advocates by signing into law a bill that eliminated a requirement for abortion services to be covered by a separate insurance rider instead of through basic health insurance.