Midwest
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer among Kamala Harris VP choices with ‘middle of the road’ police record: union leader
Vice President Kamala Harris’ list of potential running mates is rumored to include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose record with law enforcement has been mostly played in “the middle of the road,” one police union leader said.
Whitmer, who is in her second term as governor after climbing the political ranks, would bring experience as an attorney should she team up with Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate.
Crime has been a significant issue for parts of Whitmer’s state, where Detroit was recently named one of the five most dangerous cities in America. She has faced criticism for a controversial program helping migrants after an illegal immigrant was charged with murdering a woman in Grand Rapids.
“Gretchen Whitmer is enabling Joe Biden’s open border policies by handing out cash to anyone who will take in unvetted illegal immigrants, undoubtedly risking the safety of our neighborhoods and communities,” Tudor Dixon, a Republican who ran against Whitmer for governor in 2022, previously told Fox News Digital.
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is rumored as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Christopher Kierkus, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Michigan’s Grand Valley State University, said on Monday, though, that “if someone had asked [him if] Governor Whitmer’s administration and her approach has made crime worse [or] better,” he would say that “it hasn’t made a huge difference.”
Kierkus said that Whitmer has focused on gun crime, changed safe storage laws for firearms and enhanced opportunities for red flag reporting laws in an attempt to cut down on gun violence.
“I don’t think the data is back on that about whether it’s been successful,” Kierkus said. “My gut feeling is that it won’t make a difference, but that may be my bias on the issue.”
WHITMER ON GOP CHARGES REPLACING BIDEN WAS ‘UNDEMOCRATIC’: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK’
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigns on behalf of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at a house party in Durham, New Hampshire on July 25, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Mike Sauger, the president of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, said that Whitmer has been “favorable as it pertains to officer wellness funding and funding for police recruits in the academy.”
“However, I think she’s played the middle of the road for the most part,” Sauger told Fox News Digital on Monday. “Michigan, like many states, has a lack of qualified candidates for police jobs, and no real effort has been made for retention either.
“We have not had any legislation, anti-police or controversial toward the police introduced this session, so we wouldn’t be able to tell how Gov. Whitmer would respond if forced to pick a side.”
WHITMER CHARGES THAT VANCE HAS ‘ABSOLUTELY BETRAYED’ HIS BLUE COLLAR VALUES
President Joe Biden, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and US Senator Debbie Stabenow, arrive to tour the 2022 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on September 14, 2022. – Biden is visiting the auto show to highlight electric vehicle manufacturing. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s unclear where Whitmer stands as a potential running mate for Harris. Whitmer told CBS Mornings on Monday that she has not been part of the vetting process so far.
“Everything’s truncated, and [Harris] is going to make that decision probably in the next six, seven days,” Whitmer said. “I would imagine we’ll know who her running mate is, and we’ll get ready for convention.”
Whitmer said that she intends to serve out the remainder of her term as Michigan’s governor until 2026.
Last week, she told reporters that she was “not interested in doing [anything] other than this job for the next two and a half years,” as she signed Michigan’s education budget – but it is unclear whether she could be persuaded to vacate the seat if she were tapped for vice president.
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative meeting at the Hilton Midtown on Sept. 19, 2023 in New York City. (John Nacion/WireImage)
Whitmer’s political career took off in 2006 when she won a special election to the state senate, serving in that chamber until 2015, and becoming its first female Democratic leader from 2011 to 2015.
During a debate on abortion in 2013, Whitmer garnered national attention for a speech on the Michigan state senate floor on abortion in which she shared her own experience with sexual assault.
For six months in 2016, she served as Ingham County’s prosecutor. Two years later, she was elected governor, ousting state Attorney General and Republican nominee Bill Schuette.
She secured her second term in 2022 against Dixon, a businesswoman and conservative political commentator.
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is serving her second term. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)
In July 2022, Whitmer signed an executive directive to reduce crime and gun violence, saying that “as a former prosecutor, public safety [was] a top priority for [her].”
“Today, far too many families in Michigan do not feel safe in their neighborhood because of crime and gun violence,” she said at the time.
“That is unacceptable – we must stop the violence and hold people accountable,” she continued. “We need to tackle both crime and gun violence simultaneously because they are inextricably linked to nearly 1 in 3 reported violent crimes involve a firearm… that’s why I worked to give law enforcement the resources they need in my bipartisan budget.”
If Whitmer were selected as Harris’ running mate, both tickets would have a candidate who nearly fell victim to a plot against them.
In October 2020, the FBI announced the arrest of 13 men for orchestrating a domestic terror plot to kidnap the Michigan governor, as well as other charges related to using violence to overthrow the state’s government.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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UIC College of Nursing students celebrate graduating in Springfield
Watch as students from the University of Illinois Chicago celebrate graduating from nursing school in Springfield with a decades-old tradition.
The Illinois Product Farmers Market is set to open for the 19th season, offering locally grown food, entertainment and activities for families.
The market will run from 3:30 to 7 p.m. every Thursday from May 7 to Sept. 24, excluding Aug. 13, 20 and 27, at The Shed on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 Sangamon Ave., Springfield, according to a community announcement.
A variety of vendors will offer fresh produce, meats, baked goods and other products processed, produced or packaged in Illinois.
The market is presented by the Illinois Department of Agriculture in partnership with several sponsors, including the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, Lincoln Land Community College and Springfield Clinic.
Opening day will feature food and activities for families
Opening day will feature several food options, including barbecue from Nuthatch Hill BBQ, burgers from Edinburgers and mini donuts from Johnnie O’s Mini Donuts.
Family-friendly activities will include a Touch-A-Truck event, free balloon animals, face painting, yard games and a visit from the Springfield Art Association Make Truck.
Live music will be provided by Not Petty, and prize drawings will be held throughout the event.
Each visitor will receive a free reusable Illinois Product Market bag, and the Illinois Product Buy Local Prize Wheel will offer a chance to win prizes from Skateland, Happy Hour Pilates, the Aberham Lincoln Presidential Museum, HyVee, Illinois wineries and more.
Market offers LINK match program and weekly raffles
The market will offer a LINK match program. According to the announcement, for every dollar spent using LINK, customers will receive an additional dollar in LINK match to spend on fruits and vegetables.
Weekly raffles will offer $10 in “MarketCash” and an Illinois Product Basket.
Vendor space is still available
Space is still available for vendors interested in participating in the 2026 market. Those interested can contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture at agr.farmersmarket@illinois.gov.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
PLAINFIELD — Light spills from a window above a wooden fixture of the crucifixion at Saint Susanna Catholic Church as parishioners weave through the pews at the close of the 11 a.m. mass on a recent Sunday.
Most leave, but some stick around for coffee and doughnuts, a fundraising effort for the church’s prison ministry, which provides rosaries, Bibles and faith study materials to inmates at the Hendricks County Jail. In the hallway are stacks of letters to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, Sen. Todd Young and Rep. Jim Baird, urging them to support programs to reduce hunger at home and abroad.
“Cuts to SNAP and international assistance have already put millions at risk,” the letter reads, citing Jesus’ refusal to turn a hungry crowd away in the Bible verse Matthew 14:16. “We can and must do better.”
Those cuts have been hallmarks of President Donald Trump’s administration, which has taken a less generous, and at times adversarial, approach to those in need globally as it looks to reduce spending. The strategy has contributed to a larger tension between Catholicism and the president; at the helm of this opposition is Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, whose criticisms of the war in Iran have increasingly landed him in Trump’s crosshairs.
But Catholics across the nation, including at Saint Susanna, told USAToday and IndyStar that they favor the pope’s approach.
“He has done it elegantly, but yet very stern,” Eloisa Garza, who helps run the prison ministry, said of Pope Leo after mass at Saint Susanna on April 26. “Being an American, which we are Americans, that’s what sometimes other countries look at us to do as leaders.”
Garza, 70, said she appreciates that Pope Leo has the courage to speak when the world needs a powerful voice rooted in faith. His role as the first American-born pope only adds to the impact, she said.
She runs the prison ministry along with Harla Lyle, 84, who also commended the pope for his “quiet, serene composure.”
Even when in conflict with some world leaders, Lyle said, Pope Leo sticks to faith.
“I think that he really is a symbol,” she said.
The trust in Pope Leo comes as the pontiff fields blistering attacks from Trump. After the pope called Trump’s threat of annihilation in Iran “unacceptable,” the president fired back that Pope Leo was “weak on crime.”
The tension between the two men is sometimes amplified by Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic himself who has openly disagreed with the pope and warned him to be “be careful” when discussing theology.
American Catholics have largely backed the pope in the past, and the broader public has continued to view the pope favorably. More than two-thirds of U.S. voters who are Catholic said they view the pope favorably, according to a November 2025 poll. Three-fifths of Americans in general view the pope in a positive light, too, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found in April.
Chicago native John Paloma, who now lives in Camby, Indiana, said he used to live “down the road” from where the pope grew up. Paloma said he appreciated that the pope has not engaged in extended battles with those who criticize him.
“There might be some controversy, but as long as he keeps to the faith, what could you say?” he said, sitting at a table after mass with fellow parishioners. “My hope is still high.”
Bob Duty, an 84-year-old man sitting with Paloma, shared a similarly positive view.
“I like the pope,” Duty told IndyStar. “He’s from America.”
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
Democrats are banking on a high-stakes, long-shot win in Iowa.
The Hawkeye State voted for President Donald Trump by 13 points in 2024 and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. Still, Democrats are optimistic that a perfect storm of soaring gas and healthcare costs, tariffs and an unpopular president could help them flip the Senate seat blue.
But Democrats first must get through a contentious June 2 primary between state Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek before they can even turn their attention to the presumptive GOP nominee, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa).
The clash is a microcosm of the establishment moderate-versus-progressive insurgent battle raging within the Democratic Party, an ideological tussle that could cost them in November.
Wahls, a more left-wing candidate backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), has made opposition to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a major part of his message.
“When I’m doing my stump speech and tell people that on the first day of this campaign, I made a promise not to support Chuck Schumer for leader, the room — without any explanation — just spontaneously bursts into applause,” Wahls said in an interview.
Turek, who flipped a GOP-held Iowa Senate seat blue in 2022 and is the favored pick of Schumer’s allies, says Wahls is focused on the wrong issues.
“Wahls is out here running against Schumer. I’m out here running against Donald Trump and Ashley Hinson,” Turek declared. “In the thousands of doors that I’ve knocked, I’ve never heard a single Iowan talk to me about minority leadership.”
Wahls and Turek face off in the first head-to-head primary debate tonight. Warren is stumping for Wahls in Des Moines on May 10.
Some ad news. Outside groups are taking notice — and spending big. VoteVets is dropping another $800,000 on a pro-Turek ad buy starting Tuesday. The group, dedicated to electing Democrats with military service, has spent $6.7 million boosting Turek to date. In the new spot, a retired Army National Guard colonel says Turek will root out corruption and oppose Trump.
We’ll note Turek isn’t a veteran. But Turek’s father served in Vietnam, and his exposure to Agent Orange while serving contributed to Turek’s being born with spina bifida.
VoteVets first started spending for Turek on March 24.
Electability squabbles. In conversations with the Iowa Democratic hopefuls, both candidates insist they’re the only person who can beat Hinson in the fall.
“Zach comes from the bluest district in the state, a [Kamala] Harris +38 district. He’s never even run against a Republican,” Turek said. “This isn’t the time to be experimenting.”
Wahls countered that his record of opposing Democratic leadership will resonate with disaffected voters of all stripes.
“It is easier to draw that contrast [with Hinson] if you can tell people that you don’t owe Chuck Schumer a damn thing and that you don’t care about party bosses in either party,” Wahls said. “We can draw that contrast much, much more effectively than Josh can.”
Turek said he didn’t know if he would vote for Schumer as leader if elected.
“I need to get up there. I’m not measuring the drapes first,” Turek said.
State of play. Despite Iowa’s recent red tilt, Turek and Wahls argue that because the state’s farm industry has been hit hard by Trump’s tariffs and higher gas prices, the president is no longer popular among Iowans.
Democrats are also optimistic that gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand will provide a lift to the rest of the ticket. Sand, the state auditor, is running a well-received campaign and is polling competitively with the GOP frontrunner, Rep. Randy Feenstra.
Iowa is a reach state for Democrats and exists outside of the core Senate map for the party. But in a blue wave environment where control of the chamber is in play, Democratic wins in states like Iowa could help push the party to the 51 seats needed to win a majority.
GOP view. Hinson has boosted Wahls by labeling him the “soon-to-be Democrat nominee” in social media posts. It’s a sign that some Iowa Republicans view Wahls as the more preferable general election candidate.
“With momentum building behind Wahls, time will tell if Schumer can carry his candidate across the finish line,” NRSC spokesperson Samantha Cantrell said in a statement.
Republicans are gleeful at the spate of competitive primaries dividing Democrats in key states. After the Maine primary where progressives came out on top, there are also Schumer-skeptical liberals running in Minnesota and Michigan.
Opposing Schumer may appeal to some Democratic primary voters, but the sentiment doesn’t directly impact his standing as leader. As long as Senate Democrats win the races they need to win in November, the New York Democrat is unlikely to be challenged for his job.
Happening today. Voters in Ohio and Indiana head to the ballot box for primary day.
Republicans will decide their candidate to face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Derek Merrin is the favorite against state Rep. Josh Williams and former ICE official Madison Sheahan. This is a rightward-shifting district.
Air Force veteran Eric Conroy is favored to take on Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman.
Indiana. There aren’t any steeply competitive primaries in any battleground seats in Indiana. The one to watch is Indiana’s 1st District, where Republicans have an outside chance to knock off Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan. Republicans are excited by Barb Regnitz.
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