Due to intervening events, the case for Gretchen Whitmer as Joe Biden’s running mate has become compelling, almost incontestable, although Biden has not given a hint as to what selection he will make.  The warrant for a Biden selection of Whitmer stems from both governmental and political factors. Last September, I became the first political columnist outside Michigan to author a column(https://www.insidernj.com/joe-biden-gretchen-whitmer-ticket-may-happen/) raising the possibility of Michigan’s newly elected governor, Gretchen Whitmer running for vice-president on a national ticket headed by former Vice President Joe Biden.  The reaction of other members of the New Jersey media and political community was “Who the hell is Gretchen Whitmer.”

The governmental factor is the absolute need for a vice presidential candidate who has served as a governor, rather than a senator.  If the paramount need of a president is for a vice president with mastery of federal policy issues, then a US Senator is ideal.  This is what made Al Gore, a veteran US Senator with wide and deep federal policy experience and expertise a perfect vice presidential political and governmental partner for Bill Clinton, who had no governmental experience at the federal level.

Joe Biden has served over four decades at the federal level as US senator and vice president. He does not need a running mate with federal policy experience and expertise- he has it himself.  In the wake of the Coronavirus catastrophe, he will need a vice president to act as Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the United States while Biden acts as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Biden as CEO will be responsible for policy direction, while the vice-presidential COO will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the programs newly enacted to repair the damage done to the nation’s financial and health systems.  There are two assets which the COO must have: 1) Intergovernmental experience; i.e. experience in dealing with the relationships between the federal government and states and cities; and 2) administrative acumen.

Since governors, rather than senators, possess the requisite COO experience described hereinabove, it will be essential for Biden to pick a governor as his running mate.  In his selection of the right governor, the political factor becomes paramount.

The political factor for the selection of Biden’s running mate has two aspects: 1) the nominee must be a woman, as Biden has pledged; and 2) the woman selected must give Biden a significant political bonus. The only woman Democratic governor who can match Whitmer in terms of “vice presidential gravitas” is New Mexico’s Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham.  In terms of who gives Biden the greater political benefit, the advantage is clearly with Whitmer.  Michigan is a hotly contested swing state with 16 electoral votes, while New Mexico is a safe Democratic state with only 5 electoral votes.

So it is clear that Whitmer is the strongest vice-presidential selection for Biden.  And that is why Trump has been willing to grossly abuse his powers regarding the Coronavirus in an effort to politically destroy Gretchen Whitmer.

There is another factor that fuels Trump’s war against Whitmer and also the governor of Washington State, Jay Inslee.  They have not been sufficiently obsequious in seeking aid from the Trump administration.

Indeed, Trump sank to new levels of inhumanity in attempting to punish the citizenry of Washington State and Michigan because their respective governors, Jay Inslee and Gretchen Whitmer criticized the inadequacy of his COVID-19 response.

At Trump’s press conference on Friday, the Trumpian message was clear: Vice-President Mike Pence should not even answer the phone calls of Governors Inslee and Whitmer in which they make life-and-death requests for 1) Personnel Protective Equipment for first responders and medical personnel; and 2) ventilators for patients.

The sin of Governors Whitmer and Inslee was clear:  They did not kiss the backside of President Trump passionately enough. How dare they criticize President He Who Must Be Obeyed!  If first responders and medical personnel die in Michigan and Washington State, it’s all the fault of Governors Whitmer and Inslee for their lack of servility.

I remember years ago in 1975 when President Gerald Ford held out until the last minute in refusing New York City’s request for financial aid to save it from bankruptcy.  The headline in the New York Daily News was, “Ford to New York: Drop Dead.”  The literal message from Trump to the citizenry of Washington State and Michigan endangered by the coronavirus was to Drop Dead.

Yet the Trump inhumanity and callousness towards the people of Michigan and Washington State was even worse than originally perceived, as Governor Whitmer was to learn.

Earlier on Friday, Whitmer had been informed that that the federal government has been told not to send medical supplies to Michigan.  This put Michigan in a perilous situation.   The state was not getting the health and safety equipment needed to fight the spread of the coronavirus, because private contractors were sending their products to the federal government.  Michigan’s shipments of personal protective equipment from these contractors were being cancelled or delayed.

So Michigan could not get vital lifesaving products from the federal government or from its private contractors.  And the president inhumanely did nothing but mock Governor Whitmer, referring to her as Governor “Half” Whitmer, and held the citizenry of Michigan hostage.

In fact, when it came to Whitmer, Trump could not even control his misogyny, referring to her as “that woman.”  That prompted the nationally renowned journalist for the Detroit Free Press Mitch Albom to author a column, rebuking Trump for his sexism, “Hey, President Donald Trump: Her name is Gretchen Whitmer.” (https://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/mitch-albom/2020/03/29/mitch-albom-president-donald-trump-gretchen-whitmer/2933518001/)

So Whitmer had to fight a war not only against the Trump administration but also against fanatical Trump supporters in her home state.

Trump extremist supporters defame Trump adversaries, like myself, as having “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”  This is how the Nazis defamed critics of Hitler: they accused them of being mentally ill and had them institutionalized.

Yet in the end, Gretchen Whitmer persevered and won the war.

By taking her battle with Trump public, Whitmer produced the public pressure on Trump that she sought.  On Saturday, the White House approved her request for a major federal disaster declaration.  Separately, Whitmer announced that Michigan has received a shipment of 112,800 N95 masks from the strategic national stockpile, with an additional shipment of 8,000 masks on the way.

This major victory on the part of a woman governor overcoming Trump intimidation won Gretchen Whitmer further acclaim in America’s media centers.  Karen Tumulty, a veritable institution at the Washington Post, authored a column heralding Whitmer’s victory entitled “Why Joe Biden should pick ‘that governor’ to be his running mate.” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/28/why-joe-biden-should-pick-that-governor-be-his-running-mate/)

So Gretchen Whitmer has emerged as a major political winner in the struggle of the states against the Trump administration for the assistance they need.  She has emphasized repeatedly that she is not seeking the Democratic vice-presidential nomination.  Nor has Joe Biden indicated a personal preference for the running mate position – I don’t think he has made any decision yet.  Her actions and demonstrated political and governmental competence, however, will doubtless stimulate public advocacy for her selection.

And another political winner has emerged from the Battle of Michigan, somebody who wasn’t even a participant – Governor Phil Murphy.

As I wrote a week ago, Governor Murphy showed superb political judgment in resisting the temptation to cast blame on the Trump administration for the worsening of the crisis. This has enabled discussions between the White House and the Murphy administration to proceed in an orderly fashion.

Murphy’s forbearance has produced another result.  Trump has been under attack for his excessive partisanship and negativity in providing federal assistance, particularly in the Battle of Michigan.  So in an effort to cloak himself with a bipartisan image, he has praised Phil Murphy and lauded their ongoing discussions as a model of bipartisan cooperation.

It’s not clear in the end how far Trump will go in meeting New Jersey’s medical and economic needs arising from the crisis.  Yet one thing is clear.  The overwhelming majority of the citizens of the Garden State will respond well to the nonpartisan approach the governor has taken throughout the crisis. The model of leadership Murphy has shown makes him a solid reelection favorite nineteen months out.

And there may be another political opportunity opening for Phil Murphy if Whitmer becomes the vice president.

Biden will doubtless serve only one term.  She would become the heir apparent for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2024.  She will certainly seek a man running mate, and Phil Murphy would be ideal for this role.

So how does a Gretchen Whitmer-Phil Murphy presidential ticket in 2024 sound to you?  Don’t rule it out!

Alan J. Steinberg served as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA during the administration of former President George W. Bush and as executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.