Three of the most relevant and prominent Democrat politicians in Michigan — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Gary Peters, and U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin — will reportedly not be at embattled President Joe Biden’s rally in Detroit, Michigan Friday.
Their absences, which the Associated Press reported, come as Biden faces growing calls from members of his own party to step aside as the presumptive nominee and allow someone else to face former President Donald Trump in November in the aftermath of his disastrous debate performance.
“Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is co-chair of Biden’s campaign, will be out of the state. Sen. Gary Peters, a steadfast supporter of Biden, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vying for Michigan’s open Senate seat, will also be absent from the event.” the Associated Press’s Joey Cappelletti, Zeke Miller, Seung Min Kim reported Friday.
Whitmer is, notably, one of a handful of Democrats whom pundits and commentators have discussed as a potential replacement for Biden. On Wednesday, she said that “it wouldn’t hurt” for Biden to take a cognitive test during a CNN appearance. She added that only Biden could decide to stand down as the presumptive nominee.
“We have a field, and unless one person, Joe Biden, makes an alternative decision, this is the field, and we’ve got to go,” she said.