Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she will not run for president in 2028

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is publicly ruling out a bid for the 2028 presidential race. 

"I think we're going to have a robust group of people looking to run. I'm not going to be one of them," Whitmer said during an interview on Thursday with Michigan Matters host Carol Cain at Mackinac Island. 

"I've got a lot of gas in the tank. I care deeply about Michigan and the future of our country." 

But for now, the governor said, "I can't wait to have just a break." 

Whitmer, a Democrat, is term-limited in her current role as governor and cannot run again for that seat. She has declined to discuss what her political and career intentions are afterward. 

Whitmer is among the state leaders attending the Mackinac Island Policy Conference this week at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The Detroit Chamber of Commerce organizes the conference each year, an event that features keynote speakers, panel discussions and debates. Whitmer was among the speakers on this year's program.

She served in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate before winning the 2018 gubernatorial election.

She has also been known at the national level. Whitmer gave one of the Democratic responses to then-President Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union Address. She was also among the speakers at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, during which she poked fun at then-candidate Donald Trump's term for her as "That woman from Michigan."