Gretchen Whitmer best replacement for Biden, argues Kaylee McGhee White

The Washington Examiner’s Kaylee McGhee White contended that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) would be the best replacement for President Joe Biden should he bow out of the 2024 race , specifically over her appeal to suburban women voters.

The discussion of replacing Biden with a different candidate has exploded since Thursday night’s presidential debate, with replacement suggestions ranging from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), former first lady Michelle Obama, and Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD). White, the Washington Examiner’s Restoring America editor, explained that while it is likely too late to replace Biden, Whitmer would be the best possible candidate to fulfill such a role.

“She can easily win over the suburban moms that both Trump and Biden need," White said on Fox News's America Reports. "She’s already capitalized on Democrats’s top issue, which is abortion. And, surprisingly, even as Biden’s approval ratings have tanked throughout the state, hers have remained pretty steady. She’s a popular figure in the state, like it or not, and so she would be great."

Whitmer has reportedly condemned the idea of replacing Biden on the presidential ballot, instead reiterating her support for Biden in a phone call. However, she also apparently stated during the call that Michigan is “no longer winnable for Biden,” which could spell trouble for the president in getting the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win reelection.

White also addressed recent actions taken from the Biden campaign to quell suggestions to replace Biden, arguing that it is “circling the wagon” around the president. However, the trouble with these efforts is how the first presidential debate was “such a public display of degeneration.”

“That’s the kind of thing that doesn’t go away, and it’s the kind of thing that voters don’t forget,” White said.

Polling data conducted before the debate indicated that former President Donald Trump is leading Biden slightly in the state of Michigan, earning 49% of support from respondents against the 45% that Biden got. The former president’s lead narrows only slightly when third party candidates like Robert Kennedy Jr. were included, with Trump getting 41% and Biden at 38%.

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Trump himself has boasted about his lead in the swing state, arguing the state residents “WANT THEIR JOBS AND COUNTRY, BACK!!!”

Despite renewed calls for Biden to reconsider his 2024 reelection bid, the Biden family has stated they will “continue to fight” and not let the president's debate performance define his presidency. Among those defending Biden post-debate is Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who cited his own lackluster debate performance in the 2022 midterm elections as proof that Biden can still win.