Whitmer Says Husband Joking About Jumping Line: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a much talked-about possible vice presidential pick, said Tuesday her husband was joking about using her position to get preferential service at a marina.

Whitmer confirmed at a news conference a Detroit News report that her husband, Marc Mallory, asked a Northern Michigan dock attendant last week if being married to the governor would move him up in the queue. But, she said, he did not intend to capitalize on her status.

“Obviously with the motorized boating prohibition in our early days of COVID-19, he thought it might get a laugh. It didn’t, and to be honest, I wasn’t laughing either when it was relayed to me,” Whitmer said. “He regrets it. I wish it wouldn’t have happened.”

Whitmer has been among the names floated as possible running mates for likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. She said in an interview with Axios on HBO Monday night that she is “not looking to leave Michigan” and has not been asked to join the ticket.

Biden Hires Director for Voter Protection (2:26 p.m.)

Joe Biden’s campaign said Tuesday it has hired a former top Democratic National Committee official to serve as national director for voter protection.

Rachana Desai Martin will lead the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s work around voting rights, including to protect against the disenfranchisement of voters of color and others whose rights may be threatened in part because of the health risks of voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

A former DNC chief operating officer and director of voter protection, Desai Martin will also be senior counsel on the Biden campaign. She also served in the Obama Treasury and Veterans Affairs Departments.

Biden and other Democrats are pushing for vote-by-mail provisions in all 50 states and other accommodations to help Americans cast their votes amid the virus threat.

President Donald Trump has made clear his opposition to the push for the broader use of mail-in ballots, including in tweets last week directed at Democratic leaders in battleground states. He and allies are worried that a shift to vote-by-mail will benefit Democrats in November. -- Jennifer Epstein

Whitmer Is ‘Not Looking to Leave Michigan’ (6:59 a.m.)

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer demurred when asked directly in an interview whether she would accept an offer from Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket.

Whitmer’s response to the question -- repeatedly asked -- on Axios on HBO was to say at first she thinks “this is one of the most important elections ... maybe since our nation’s founding” and that “I’ve told the Biden team where I can help them I want to.”

So you would say yes?

“Honestly I’m not looking to leave Michigan. I love my state,” said Whitmer, who has only been in office for 16 months and has recently had to lead the battle against Covid-19 there and help the state recover from a dam break and flooding. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. I’m not looking to leave.”

So you would say no?

Whitmer laughed and said, “Thank you for having me.”

It sounds like you’d say no?

“I’ve not said yes or no because I have not been asked,” Whitmer said. “I’m in the mix I think with a massive group of phenomenal leaders and I’m honored to be but I’m not focused on that. I’m focusing on doing my job every single day.” -- Emma Kinery

Coming up:

The District of Columbia, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Indiana have primaries scheduled for June 2.

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