Could Whitmer Change Her Mind On MSU Prez Job?

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/04/2026) Well, that takes care of that.

Or does it?

The speculation machine in this town is in high gear these days, with two presidential vacancies at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. Again, two familiar names on the "possibility" list include Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Mike Duggan. Everyone took note of the most recent statement from the governor's office regarding the gig at her alma mater.

“The governor does not have any interest in that position,” said Whitmer Press Secretary Bobby Leddy. To the uninformed casual observer, you might conclude that she is out of the running. After all, “no interest” means "no interest."

Ah but.

Anyone who has played this game for longer than a half-inning is well aware of the fact that astute politicians choose their words very carefully. The Governor, who will be looking for work in another half year or so, could have directed Bobby Leddy to trot out the same line she used on Mackinac Island recently.

After first saying she would not run for president, she walked that back and opined, "Never say Never." Now comes the MSU question and why not use the same wording?

For one thing, she obviously didn't want to leave the impression that it might or might not happen. Hence, the "not interested" line was chosen instead.

Less one forgets, this Governor was never interested in running for Vice President of the United States. But as it turns out, her name was on President Joe Biden's short list for V.P. after Whitmer reportedly dazzled both the sitting president and the sitting First Lady. They eventually settled on someone else for the job and sometime later after the Biden loss, Whitmer finally confessed that if he had offered her the second spot on the ticket, she would have accepted it. That despite the fact that she was never interested in the job.

There is no way to gauge this, but one could speculate that some pressure might be applied to convince the Governor to get interested. Some might tell her, she is the only one who can immediately step into the office on the fourth floor of the Hannah building and bring peace to the board room and campus once more. Some might tell her if she truly bleeds Green and White, she would do it for the good of the school and state, which would add another legacy, chapter to the one she created during the last eight years as governor. And some might say after a year or two when things have settled down, she can cast her net anywhere she wants in the job market and take another assignment that she was willing to put on hold until the timing was right.

On the broader topic of any future career moves, it should also be noted that the Governor thinks it is inappropriate for her, while still in office, to be engaging in any kind of conversation regarding that issue.

"I'm governor until the end of the year. I don't want to do anything that would bring any sort of conflict.

Which brings us to former Independent candidate for governor, Mike Duggan, who has been plying his Ed McNamara taught talent of choosing the right words to address the possibility that he might take the U of M job if offered.

"I've literally given no thought to anything other than getting through this day," he offered on the very day he bailed out of the race.

He noted that for 18 months he was so focused on this mission, which turned out to be a mission impossible, his answer seemed reasonable. And when asked specifically about the A2 opening, he reported he had not talked to anyone about that. Does that mean he never did any texting with someone such as Mark Bernstein who chairs the U of M Board of Regents and just happened to have supported Mr. Duggan for governor?

Five days later, when an inquisitive TV-7 reporter, asked Duggan on the island about the U of M question, he noted, "over the next month or two I'll access what to do next." Note that was not a yes, no, or maybe to the actual question. He could have said, "I'm not interested," which means just what the Governor wants it to mean.