Whitmer Should Be Democratic Nominee

COMMENTARY

The 2024 election keeps barreling ahead with a Biden-Trump rematch seeming inevitable, even though 70% of Americans say they don’t want a repeat. 

The race for the Republican nomination is essentially over. Former President Donald Trump may be irritated by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, but he’s certainly not feeling threatened. Even with his dance card filled with trials, Trump continues consolidating support, tightening his stranglehold on the GOP. 

In the Michigan primary, President Joe Biden garnered 81% of the vote. What’s more significant about that number is that over 100,000 of 768,000 voters chose “uncommitted” as their candidate.

Many analysts point to Biden’s diminishing support in predominantly Arab American precincts, a protest against his administration’s policies toward Israel and the war in Gaza. With Michigan a pivotal swing state, these latest results are just one more reason for Democrats to grow increasingly nervous about the 2024 election.

The Dem’s biggest problem: “A sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

Whether or not the special prosecutor’s description of the president’s mental faculties is accurate, an allusion is now a perception. With nine months to go until “The Election Nobody Wants,” I believe it’s irresponsible and hubristic for Biden to stay in the race, when any chance of Trump returning to the White House is far too risky. 

Even before this damning analysis, a recent Gallup poll showed that 66% of respondents said they would not vote for a presidential candidate in their 80s. Vice President Kamala Harris’ 37% approval rating is the lowest of any first-term VP since Dan Quayle, and all it will take is one major health incident for Biden’s campaign to be doomed. 

With all due respect to a man who has shown intelligence, compassion and integrity in his 40-plus years of public service, it’s time for Democratic leaders to recognize that Biden should drop out of the race. Polls of registered voters in battleground states show that a generic Democratic candidate would be a +8 favorite over Trump. And in addition to his abysmal approval rating, Biden remains bogged down by the intractable issues of immigration and the Middle East. 

My ideal nominee would be Gretchen Whitmer, the popular Michigan governor, with someone who brings foreign policy gravitas, such as Adm. James Stavridis. This announcement should come right after the Republican convention in mid-July, leaving several weeks before the ticket will be chosen at the Democratic convention, leaving plenty of time to lay the groundwork for a Whitmer campaign. 

There have also been some pieces of good news for Biden that will translate to a Whitmer candidacy. One, Biden has stronger support from Gen Z voters (under 25 years old) than Trump. Of course, the challenge of getting Zoomers to the polls will be even more difficult in this election, as neither candidate is addressing two areas they care about strongly, support for Palestinians and climate change. But with abortion such a highly charged issue, an abortion-rights woman candidate can further incentivize young people to make their voices heard.

A wild card, a focus of right-wing conspiracists, is Taylor Swift. With her 279 million Instagram followers, Biden supporters are fervently hoping Swift will endorse him, as it could mean millions in campaign contributions and motivate women voters. A single post by Swift in 2023 led to 35,000 new voter registrations within hours. In 2020, the outcomes in Arizona and Georgia were determined by fewer than 12,000 votes, so it is conceivable that the world’s top social media influencer could help sway close races. Imagine the impact if Swift were to support a strong woman like Whitmer.

In the most important election in the past 100 years, the nation should not be left with a choice between a highly vulnerable and a dangerously flawed candidate. If reelected, Biden will be 86 by the time he leaves office, and Trump continues to be both addled and unhinged, boasts of an authoritarian regime and has legal woes that will only worsen. 

If Trump is faced with the harsh truth that a conviction would destroy his chances of reelection, would he accept reality and withdraw? History and his personality suggest not, because if there’s one thing Trump cannot stand, it’s being seen as a loser. However, polls show 53% of voters in key swing states wouldn’t support Trump if he’s convicted of a felony by a jury. 

But let’s be honest. Trump is either going to win or claim he did. He still hasn’t conceded the 2020 election and he won’t accept a defeat in 2024.

And his inner circle is more experienced and has learned from their mistakes from trying to overturn the last election.

Even with four trials and 91 criminal charges, Trump’s legal strategy is to delay, delay and appeal until after the election, when he would then try to have them dismissed or pardon himself. And who knows how a right-leaning Supreme Court will rule on presidential immunity? 

So, here we are, with one candidate who is too old and the other morally and psychologically unfit for office. Can our nation really afford even the slightest chance of Trump returning to power? The Democratic Party is living dangerously if it’s depending on Gen Z, Taylor Swift and a justice system that moves at a glacial pace to ensure that Biden wins reelection.

That’s a gamble democracy should not have to take.

There’s no dishonor in Biden withdrawing from the race; it would actually be an act of supreme patriotism. And a majority of Americans would gladly welcome Whitmer to the Oval Office.

Dave Spencer’s journey towards practical politics was shaped by his background and a critical turning point in his life. Born in New York as a member of the Rockefeller family, he grew up around a culture of political interest and involvement and being part of a family that is one of the pillars of philanthropy in America. He founded Practically Political to engage and motivate citizens who are fact- and issue-oriented, invite conversation, respect differences of opinion, believe in compromise and put sound policy before partisanship. He can be reached on X.