Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted a welcome on social media but was not on hand. The state’s two Democratic senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and a leading candidate for Ms. Stabenow’s seat, Representative Elissa Slotkin, all were otherwise occupied.
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President Biden was greeted by the award-winning actress Octavia Spencer in Detroit on Friday, but many of his top allies will skip his appearance.
When President Biden landed in Michigan on Friday for a campaign rally in Detroit, he was met by House Democrats, state lawmakers, union leaders and the award-winning actress Octavia Spencer.
Conspicuously absent, however, were many of Michigan’s highest-profile Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose popularity in the battleground state has helped put her in the top tier of those talked about as potential alternative candidates should Mr. Biden end his re-election campaign.
Crain’s Detroit Business reported on Wednesday that Ms. Whitmer instead was scheduled to attend the Sun Valley Conference of tech and media executives in Idaho. In a statement on X soon after Mr. Biden landed, Ms. Whitmer wrote, “Motor City is all in for Biden-Harris.”
Ms. Whitmer, a co-chair of the Biden campaign, has ruled out running for president this year, even if Mr. Biden were to drop out, but that has not ended speculation about her candidacy. In a CNN interview on Wednesday, she said it “wouldn’t hurt” if Mr. Biden underwent a cognitive exam to reassure supporters of his health and fitness.
ImageGov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, second from right, with President Biden at the Detroit Auto Show in 2022.Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times
Also missing from Mr. Biden’s campaign event were Michigan’s two Democratic senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, as well as Representative Elissa Slotkin, the leading Democratic candidate to fill the seat of Ms. Stabenow, who is retiring. Ms. Stabenow and Mr. Peters wrote statements of support for the president on social media soon after he landed, and they were shared by the Biden campaign.
In a video call with donors on Tuesday, Ms. Slotkin had said that Mr. Biden was trailing his rival, Donald J. Trump in Michigan, and noted that she was running for the Senate because Ms. Stabenow, 74, was “doing a radical thing and passing the torch.”
Robyn Bryan, a spokeswoman for Ms. Stabenow, said the senator was out of town for the event. A spokeswoman for Mr. Peters said the senator had previous commitments and could not be in Detroit on Friday. Representatives of Ms. Whitmer and Ms. Slotkin did not immediately respond to requests for comment on their absence.
Chris Cameron covers politics for The Times, focusing on breaking news and the 2024 campaign. More about Chris Cameron
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Source: nytimes.com
