In a letter to supporters this morning, State Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) announced that she won't make a run for the Governor's seat in 2014.
She cited family as the reason for her decision.
MLive has the full text of her letter to supporters. Here's a portion:
I've said all along that I wouldn't be making this decision alone, but rather would be doing it along with my family, and in particular, what's best for my 2 girls. They're 9 and 10 years old now, and without question, being their Mom is the single most important thing in the world to me. So, while making this decision is undeniably difficult, knowing why I'm making it also makes it very easy. To be the kind of Mom I want to be for my girls simply does not allow me to make the kind of commitment necessary to run a successful campaign for Governor at this point in their lives.
She released this video on Facebook this morning explaining her decision:
The Detroit Free Press lists the following people as potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates for Michigan's 2014 race.
- Former U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer
- U.S. Rep. Gary Peters
- Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel
- and State Board of Education president John Austin
