(Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/18/2023) (SAGINAW) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer debunked a gossip column that claimed she’s reached a seven-figure deal for a book to be released in June – which is often seen as a sign of interest for a presidential run. However, she didn't discount the possibility that one is coming.
Whitmer’s comment came Thursday at the Bay of Central Fire Station in Saginaw where she continued her statewide tour on how more retirement income is tax free due to legislation she signed last year. She spoke with retirees to learn how, if at all, the 2023 tax filing savings could help retirees and their families.
“I’ve always said at some point I’m going to write a book,” Whitmer said after the roundtable discussion. “When I’ve got something to announce and share, I’ll make sure you know… I am seriously contemplating what that could be, but that thing on Page Six was not accurate.”
When asked if she’s talking with publisher Simon & Schuster, Whitmer replied: “When I’ve got something to talk about, I’m going to share it.”
Simon & Schuster, which describes itself as a “leading international publisher,” did not respond to a request for comment.
The New York Post reported the book deal Wednesday on its celebrity gossip Page 6, quoting unnamed sources as saying Whitmer “just signed a big, seven-figure book deal with Simon & Schuster, at auction, for a book to be rushed out as soon as possible.”
The alleged deal’s announcement comes about two weeks after Whitmer told Off the Record’s Tim Skubick during his December “Evening with the Governor 2023” that “different journalists” have asked her to pen a book, but it “maybe” wouldn’t come until “when I’m done being Governor.”
“I feel like maybe there’s a short book to write,” Whitmer told Skubick. “It may be sooner than you know. I’m talking about different pieces of my philosophy, but ultimately maybe a longer form book, but that comes later.”
Whitmer was first elected governor in 2018, winning a second term in 2022. She gained national attention due to her response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was considered as a potential running mate for then-candidate, President Joe Biden.
In a recent poll commissioned by MIRS and Traverse Connect, 34 percent plurality of Michigan Democratic voters said they would support Whitmer – who gives her sixth State of the State address Jan. 24 – for the Democratic party’s nomination for president if Biden ends his re-election campaign for whatever reason.
Meanwhile, Saginaw Fire Department hosted Whitmer’s visit Thursday with more than a dozen retirees and other stakeholders interested in the Lowering MI Costs plan, which was signed in March and rolls back the retirement tax over four years, putting an average of $1,000 back in the pockets of 500,000 households, according to the Governor’s office.
Whitmer said the tax is the result of asking two questions: How to lower costs for Michigan families and how to grow the state’s economy.
Those community members present, including two retired Michigan Education Association employees, a church bishop, and retired and current firefighters, praised the tax rollback, with one calling it a “game changer.”
