Gretchen Whitmer Makes The Case For 'Total Badass' Kamala Harris

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got one of the most valuable speaking slots at the Democratic National Convention ― on its last night and in prime time, just a few speakers before presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech.

And Whitmer used that opportunity to promote the vice president as somebody who understands the challenges facing everyday Americans, is qualified to govern in a crisis and can “GSD” ― get stuff done.

“Kamala Harris knows who she is fighting for,” Whitmer said. “Kamala Harris, she gets us. She sees us. She is us.”

In touting these qualities, Whitmer made clear the contrast with the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, describing him as a tycoon who had probably never been to a grocery store and as somebody who could not be trusted to manage a crisis.

“One day, when you’re just trying to get everyone out the door, a news alert goes off,” Whitmer said, describing an imaginary crisis. “Something happened, something hit the fan. You’ll ask, Is my family going to be OK? And then you will ask, Who the hell is in charge? What if it’s him? What if it’s that man from Mar-a-Lago?”

By contrast, Whitmer said, Harris is “tough, tested and a total badass.”

Of course, people have said the same thing about Whitmer, who famously sparred with Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic and has emerged as one of the nation’s fiercest defenders of abortion rights.

In 2022, Whitmer won reelection by more than 10 percentage points. That performance, in a tightly divided state essential to Democratic presidential fortunes, fueled speculation she might end up on a national ticket someday.

That speculation intensified and became more urgent in late June, when it became clear President Joe Biden might