Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hit the campaign trail Friday, shaking off “a heck of a 24 hours” after federal and state authorities foiled an alleged kidnapping plot.
Whitmer appeared in Traverse City to stump for Democratic state representative candidate Dan O’Neil in a county that went for President Donald Trump by more than 12 percentage points four years ago.
“These are high stakes and I got to tell you, I’ve had a heck of a 24 hours,” an energized Whitmer said, “and if I can show up here and show up for Dan O’Neil, we all can — every single day between now and this election.”
Her campaign stop came a day after U.S. and Michigan authorities announced the arrests of 13 men on a host of charges connected to alleged plots to kidnap Whitmer and attack state government buildings and officials.
After her short campaign speech, Whitmer posed for pictures with some of O’Neil’s socially distant supporters. Whitmer said after the event that she would not alter her campaign schedule.
“I don’t plan to change any of my aggressive calendar,” she said. “I got a job to do, being the governor and helping to ensure that I’ve got some great allies in the legislature.”
For months, Whitmer has been at odds with militia groups and others opposed to her restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
During the early days of the governor’s lockdown orders, armed protesters marched in Lansing, the state capital, and President Donald Trump famously tweeted “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” in April.
As of Friday, Michigan residents were testing positive for coronavirus at about a 3 percent rate, one of the lowest in the nation, according to a rolling count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
