Gretchen Whitmer says she does not want to be Kamala Harris's VP

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, long seen as a potential presidential candidate, told a reporter that she's "staying in Michigan."

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took herself out of consideration to be Kamala Harris's VP.
• "I'm not planning to go anywhere," Whitmer told a reporter. "I am not leaving Michigan."
• The Michigan governor has long been seen as a potential presidential contender.

As the race to become Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate kicks off, one notable name has already taken her name off the list.

In a brief interaction with a reporter in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer indicated that she's not interested in serving as vice president and would decline the position if offered.

"No, I'm not planning to go anywhere," Whitmer said. "I am not leaving Michigan."

The Michigan governor, first elected in the 2018 "Blue Wave," has long been seen as a future Democratic presidential contender, or even an alternative to Biden before he dropped out. She had also been floated as a potential running mate for Harris.

But Whitmer has avoided all of that, issuing an endorsement of Harris earlier on Monday, one day after many other elected officials.

"I think everyone was surprised by the news yesterday, even though there was a lot of conversation about it," she said, adding that she "wanted a minute to check in with all my colleagues and let the dust settle."

Several other governors are rumored to be potential running mates for Harris, including Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Roy Cooper of North Carolina.

Beshear even made an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Monday, where he laced into Donald Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, in what appeared to be an audition to be Harris's running mate.