A recent Punchbowl News survey of Democratic influencers found that if Joe Biden does not run again, they prefer Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The “Lockdown Queen” was the top choice of 49 percent, with Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom running behind.
This could be problematic for the Democrats because of Whitmer’s abysmal record of dealing with COVID. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted in a speech in Midland, MI, “I do remember during COVID people fleeing those lockdowns in Michigan… People were treated very, very poorly and parents were upset with the schools and everything else…”
While Whitmer was just signing a bill repealing right to work in Michigan—thus forcing workers to join a union—DeSantis was standing up to teacher unions. He recently signed a bill allowing all Florida parents to have the freedom to choose any school in the state they wish for their kids.
Last year, Florida’s job growth was second best in the nation at 4.6 percent, compared to Michigan’s anemic 2.1 percent. Florida also had the largest population increase of any state from 2021 to 2022, while Michigan lost people.