Whitmer slated to speak at Democratic National Convention

By: Allison R. Donahue - August 11, 2020 12:59 pm

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a rally for former Vice President Joe Biden in Detroit, March 9, 2020 | Andrew Roth

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has made it on to former Vice President Joe Biden’s shortlist for his running mate pick, is scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention Monday.

According to the Associated Press, Whitmer traveled to Delaware on Aug. 2 to meet with Biden, raising suspicions that she may be tapped as Biden’s long awaited running mate.

Biden’s pick, which is expected to be announced this week, is scheduled to speak Aug. 17. However, if Whitmer is selected, her time slot could be moved.

The Democratic National Convention will be based in Milwaukee but broadcasted virtually after party officials decided to cancel all in-person plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Programming is set to be broadcast and streamed online each night from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT.

The lineup of speakers includes a long list of former 2020 presidential candidates, governors, U.S. senators and representatives.

Some of the other leading Democrats joining Whitmer Monday night will be U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Tuesday night’s lineup includes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), former President Bill Clinton and former Second Lady Jill Biden.

Wednesday night, Aug. 19, when the vice president nominee is slated to speak, will feature House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Former President Barack Obama.

Thursday night, Aug. 20, will conclude with Biden, but will also include U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Allison R. Donahue

Allison R. Donahue is a former Michigan Advance reporter who covered education, women's issues and LGBTQ issues. Previously, she was a suburbs reporter at the St. Cloud Times in St. Cloud, Minn., covering local education and government. As a graduate of Grand Valley State University, she has previous experience as a freelance researcher for USA Today and an intern with WOOD TV-8. When she is away from her desk, she spends her time going to concerts, comedy shows or getting lost on hikes in different places around the world.