Photo from Whitmer campaign.
Gretchen Whitmer, the front running Democrat in the governor's race this year, has had her challenges in Detroit.
She barely got the endorsement of Mayor Mike Duggan, who was fishing around for a while for a stronger candidate.
Gretchen Whitmer campaign photo
And as Detroit News columnist Bankole Thompson points out, "she is running with little name ID in a city that she expects to turn out in droves in November to elect her as the next Democratic governor." He adds:
In fact, at a recent gubernatorial town hall on poverty I moderated at Martin Luther King High School, several Detroiters at the forum shared with me later that the event was their first encounter with her.
But a bigger problem for the likely Democratic nominee, who just got a significant endorsement from the United Auto Workers, is that her chances of exciting the base in Detroit will also depend on who her running mate is.
“Benny Napoleon’s vast community and government experience and his strong dedication to social justice will make him an invaluable part of Gretchen Whitmer’s ticket,” said Rory Gamble, executive director of UAW Region 1A. “He has a tremendous dedication and commitment to public service and to the working class people of Michigan.”
