Gov. Gretchen Whitmer among Kamala Harris VP choices with ‘middle of the road’ police record: union leader

Vice President Kamala Harris' list of potential running mates is rumored to include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose record with law enforcement has been mostly played in "the middle of the road," one police union leader said.

Whitmer, who is in her second term as governor after climbing the political ranks, would bring experience as an attorney should she team up with Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate.

Crime has been a significant issue for parts of Whitmer's state, where Detroit was recently named one of the five most dangerous cities in America. She has faced criticism for a controversial program helping migrants after an illegal immigrant was charged with murdering a woman in Grand Rapids.

"Gretchen Whitmer is enabling Joe Biden’s open border policies by handing out cash to anyone who will take in unvetted illegal immigrants, undoubtedly risking the safety of our neighborhoods and communities," Tudor Dixon, a Republican who ran against Whitmer for governor in 2022, previously told Fox News Digital. 

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Christopher Kierkus, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Michigan's Grand Valley State University, said on Monday, though, that "if someone had asked [him if] Governor Whitmer's administration and her approach has made crime worse [or] better," he would say that "it hasn't made a huge difference."

Kierkus said that Whitmer has focused on gun crime, changed safe storage laws for firearms and enhanced opportunities for red flag reporting laws in an attempt to cut down on gun violence. 

"I don't think the data is back on that about whether it's been successful," Kierkus said. "My gut feeling is that it won't make a difference, but that may be my bias on the issue."

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Mike Sauger, the president of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, said that Whitmer has been "favorable as it pertains to officer wellness funding and funding for police recruits in the academy." 

"However, I think she's played the middle of the road for the most part," Sauger told Fox News Digital on Monday. "Michigan, like many states, has a lack of qualified candidates for police jobs, and no real effort has been made for retention either. 

"We have not had any legislation, anti-police or controversial toward the police introduced this session, so we wouldn't be able to tell how Gov. Whitmer would respond if forced to pick a side."

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It's unclear where Whitmer stands as a potential running mate for Harris. Whitmer told CBS Mornings on Monday that she has not been part of the vetting process so far.

"Everything's truncated, and [Harris] is going to make that decision probably in the next six, seven days," Whitmer said. "I would imagine we'll know who her running mate is, and we'll get ready for convention."

Whitmer said that she intends to serve out the remainder of her term as Michigan's governor until 2026. 

Last week, she told reporters that she was "not interested in doing [anything] other than this job for the next two and a half years," as she signed Michigan's education budget – but it is unclear whether she could be persuaded to vacate the seat if she were tapped for vice president.

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Whitmer's political career took off in 2006 when she won a special election to the state senate, serving in that chamber until 2015, and becoming its first female Democratic leader from 2011 to 2015.

During a debate on abortion in 2013, Whitmer garnered national attention for a speech on the Michigan state senate floor on abortion in which she shared her own experience with sexual assault.

For six months in 2016, she served as Ingham County's prosecutor. Two years later, she was elected governor, ousting state Attorney General and Republican nominee Bill Schuette.

She secured her second term in 2022 against Dixon, a businesswoman and conservative political commentator.

In July 2022, Whitmer signed an executive directive to reduce crime and gun violence, saying that "as a former prosecutor, public safety [was] a top priority for [her]." 

"Today, far too many families in Michigan do not feel safe in their neighborhood because of crime and gun violence," she said at the time.

"That is unacceptable – we must stop the violence and hold people accountable," she continued. "We need to tackle both crime and gun violence simultaneously because they are inextricably linked to nearly 1 in 3 reported violent crimes involve a firearm... that's why I worked to give law enforcement the resources they need in my bipartisan budget." 

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If Whitmer were selected as Harris' running mate, both tickets would have a candidate who nearly fell victim to a plot against them. 

In October 2020, the FBI announced the arrest of 13 men for orchestrating a domestic terror plot to kidnap the Michigan governor, as well as other charges related to using violence to overthrow the state's government.

Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.