(Bloomberg) -- Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she has not provided anything to Joe Biden's presidential campaign amid speculation she is being considered as his running mate, but she stressed her good relationship with the former vice president and said they speak regularly.
Whitmer in a Politico Live interview said she and Biden have been friends for years, adding he helped her campaign for governor in 2018 and endorsed him ahead of Michigan's primary.
“We're cut from a similar cloth. He loves people. He is regularly checking in with me about what's going on here in Michigan, what we need,” Whitmer said. “His counsel and friendship, and the way he's had Michigan's back over the years is precisely why he resonates with people here. It's why I endorsed him before the primary.”
Even before becoming the Democrats' presumptive nominee, Biden vowed to pick a female running mate. Potential picks include Georgia activist Stacey Abrams, and Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
When asked if the vice president slot should go to a woman of color, Whitmer, who is white, didn't specify either way and said she would be happy to support any “Biden-whomever” ticket and added there are many capable choices.
“There's a huge class of highly competent women leaders across this country that would, I think, be fantastic,” she said.
Whitmer though, said she isn't “running” for the position and said she didn't think anyone is. “You don't run for that, that is a selection of the top of the ticket and everyone else should just be busy doing their jobs,” she said.
Whitmer has risen to prominence in the past month for her work combating the coronavirus outbreak in her state, the third-worst hit by COVID-19. As of Monday morning, Michigan had nearly 38,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 3,315 deaths.
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