Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Sunday dismissed concerns over an apparent lack of enthusiasm among Democratic voters for President Joe Biden’s possible reelection campaign.
“Listen, six months ago, there were people who were writing political obituaries for a lot of Democratic governors. We won, overwhelmingly,” Whitmer said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We had a great midterm. I thank the White House for that.”
Biden has not announced a reelection campaign. An AP-NORC Center poll released last week showed 37 percent of Democrats want him to run again, compared with 52 percent in the lead-up to the last midterm elections.
Whitmer noted that the poll question was not conducted as a matchup between candidates. Former President Donald Trump, who lost to Biden in 2020, has been the only Republican to announce a campaign — though others in the Republican Party have also teased potential 2024 ambitions, some more clearly than others.
Whitmer and the White House have both pointed to the Biden administration’s legislative accomplishments and Democrats’ performance in the midterms as proof of his ongoing electability, despite the recent polling.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) said support for Biden is likely to catch up to his achievements.
“I think there’s a lead lag factor here. I think we underestimate the trauma of the past several years,” he said, adding: “I don’t think you snap back from that overnight.”
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