Whitmer to NAACP: ‘We must stay focused’

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was one of the speakers Wednesday at the NAACP convention in Las Vegas, where she warned against complacency in the effort to return Democratic President Joe Biden to the White House.

Whitmer said the Biden administration’s policies have led a national economic recovery that’s benefited Black families. The governor made no mention of the calls for Biden to step aside in favor of a younger candidate – she is often mentioned as a possibility.

“You cannot physically roll up your sleeves if you’re wringing your hands,” she said. “We’ve got work to do but we are up to meet this moment.”

Whitmer, who is a national Biden campaign co-chair, expressed concern that people are too divided.

“We know that this is an especially important, hard, dark time in our electoral politics,” she said. “They try to focus on tearing us apart from social media to political division, but we’ve got to remember, we must stay focused.”

While Whitmer was in Las Vegas, Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to Portage for an abortion rights roundtable. She called on Democrats to rally around the ticket but also condemned the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Trump and newly named running mate Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio have scheduled a campaign rally Saturday in Grand Rapids.

Polling suggests a rematch in Michigan will be close, with the wild card of Robert Kennedy Jr. appearing on the ballot as the candidate of the Natural Law Party adding an additional element of uncertainty.