Overview
- New reporting in The Atlantic, echoed by multiple outlets, says Joe Biden preferred Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for vice president in 2020 but felt he had to choose Kamala Harris.
- A former Whitmer aide told the magazine the moment called for a Black running mate after the George Floyd protests, and a onetime adviser to both Biden and Harris said that view carried some weight.
- The profile recounts that Whitmer was vetted, met Biden in Delaware, and was ready to accept the role, yet Biden never made the offer.
- Whitmer supported the Biden–Harris ticket and later, after Biden exited the 2024 race, some Democrats hoped she would step in, though she said it needed to be Harris and did not run.
- The coverage relies on anonymous sources and past on-record comments from Whitmer, and there has been no public confirmation from Biden, while a 2022 book and Harris’s memoir offer related but separate recollections.