California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s roaring start to the 2028 presidential election may already be scaring away potential competitors. That could be true when it comes to the candidate who possibly looks the best on paper: Gretchen Whitmer. As the center-left governor of a critical swing state who held major roles in the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaigns and who has managed to retain strong approval ratings, Whitmer seems to have everything going for her. (RELATED: Whitmer Says America Is Ready for a Female President) And yet, Michigan’s governor has numerous times in recent months suggested that she may not wage a presidential bid. Speculation that she may pass on the race kicked off in April when she responded to the question of what she is looking forward to in 2026 by saying, “Retiring.” This year, her appearances on national news shows have grown few and far between, leading many to conclude that she is stepping away from the limelight. Some also view her decision to prioritize working with President Donald Trump on Michigan’s needs — such as securing a new fighter jet mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base — rather than fighting him at every turn, à la Newsom, as a retreat from a national political future. This term in office, Trump has, in appreciation of her strategy, called her “a very good person” and said she is doing an “excellent job.” Whitmer’s prioritization of collaboration with the president has disappointed some Democrats, with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel saying, “Appeasement is not workable strategy with a fascist.” The famous picture of Whitmer holding up a folder to hide her face in the White House captures her effort to work with Trump despite the frustration within her own party. In October, Whitmer was asked head-on about whether she would run for president by a Canadian journalist. She said, “I don’t know if I need to be the main character in the next chapter, but I want to have a hand in writing it.” Whitmer added that the speculation that she could run for president was a “big compliment.” “I think I’ve got an important vantage point as the governor of an important swing state,” she continued, “so I anticipate helping, but I don’t know if I’m going to be the person.” Whitmer also clarified that she wants to keep her attention on Michigan. “I got a big job right now to stay focused on, and I’m going to do that,” she said. “I don’t want to take my eye off the ball and go out having missed something, having lost something, having a catastrophe happen under my watch.” Contrast that with Newsom’s splashy declaration on CBS News that he is considering a presidential run and will make a decision after next year’s midterms. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom’s Very Good Year*) The different strategies come as early polling shows that Newsom has pulled well ahead of the pack. In a poll this month by Emerson College that asked voters the open-ended question of who they would support for the Democratic nomination for president, 24 percent said Newsom, while only 0.4 percent named Whitmer. Kamala Harris followed Newsom with 10 percent support, while Pete Buttigieg pulled in 9 percent. (RELATED: Pete Buttigieg: America’s Second Gay President?) Whitmer may have decided that it’s wiser to wait for Newsom to grow stale with voters or stumble on the trail before making her move. But as Newsom has burst out of the gate at full speed and continues to garner headline after headline crowing him Democrats’ frontrunner (“Admit It. Gavin Newsom Is the 2028 Front-runner”; “Gavin Newsom ‘light years ahead’ in 2028 Democratic field after Prop. 50 win”), Whitmer may have decided that it’s wiser to wait for Newsom to grow stale with voters or stumble on the trail before making her move. If she wants to be in the race, however, she may have to act sooner rather than later. This week, Axios reported that some of her senior aides have begun looking for new jobs to take after Whitmer finishes her second term in office in January 2027 because “they haven’t got a signal to play for anything after her term ends.” Whitmer, Axios reported, is “privately expressing ambivalence about running for president in 2028.” Even still, the outlet added that the governor has also privately said that she is keeping her options open. Last month, Whitmer did tell Bloomberg News: “I can’t rule anything out at this juncture.” Also, a “senior Michigan Democrat” told Axios that the idea that Whitmer is taking herself out of the race is merely “wishful thinking on behalf of some Democrats.” In other private discussions reported on this week by Axios, Whitmer has reportedly told people that she “feels obligated to focus on Michigan through the end of her term rather than take more steps for a presidential campaign.” Gavin Newsom has chosen to go the route of unabashedly running for president even while governor of California. If resentment grows over the perception that Newsom is in it only for himself and that he isn’t solving California’s problems — as it has in the past — then that strategy could come back to bite him. If it does, then Whitmer will be able to say that she was the one who remained focused on the people of her state. And if Newsom’s strategy doesn’t backfire? Well, then maybe Whitmer will retire to spend more time with her kids rather than wage a losing battle. READ MORE from Ellie Gardey Holmes: Temple Shows DEI’s Ongoing Hold on Medical Schools Woman Who Gave Birth at 62 Via IVF Accused of Committing Fraud to Get More Children Gavin Newsom’s Very Good Year*