Whitmer Rules Out a Run for President in 2028. Here’s What Other Potential Contenders Have Said

Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer speaks during Michigan Chronicle’s Pancakes & Politics forum at Elevate at One Campus Martius in Detroit, Michigan, on April 08, 2026. —Monica Morgan—Getty ImagesMichigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, long rumored as a possible Democratic presidential candidate, has said she will not make a bid for the White House in 2028.“I think there will be a robust group of people running for President,” the Democratic governor told WJBK-TV. “I will not be one of them in 2028.”Even with more than two years left to go before the next presidential election, speculation about who could run is everywhere. Several politicians have publicly flirted with the idea of running for the office in recent months. And polls are capturing a developing picture of who the top possible contenders could be.Here’s what they’ve said about a possible presidential bid.Pete ButtigiegPete Buttigieg, who made an unsuccessful run for the White House in the 2020 election before serving as Transportation Secretary under former President Joe Biden, has been widely speculated as a potential 2028 candidate.A survey released by Emerson College Polling on Thursday identified Buttigieg as the top potential contender in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary. The survey found that 18% of likely Democratic primary voters would support Buttigieg, up two points since February.Buttigieg has not explicitly confirmed his intent to run for the White House again, but he has hinted at the idea. At the National Action Network conference in April, Rev. Al Sharpton reminded Buttigieg that they ate lunch…

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