Biden names Whitmer his nominee for DNC vice chair

President-elect Joe Biden named Gov. Gretchen Whitmer his nominee for vice chair for the Democratic National Committeon Thursday, along with seven others on Biden's slate for DNC leadership. 

Whitmer, Biden's team said in a statement, has served Michigan with "grit and compassion" and has been a "trailblazer" as the first woman elected to be Senate Minority Leader in 2006. In 2018, she received the highest number of votes for a gubernatorial candidate in state history, the statement said. 

Whitmer served as a campaign co-chair for Biden's presidential campaign in 2020 and is part of the Presidential Inauguration Committee. 

Biden also announced Jaime Harrison as chair for the party as well as nominees for three additional vice chairs: Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Texas Rep. Filemon Vela Jr., and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was nominated to serve as vice chair of civic engagement and voter protection. 

“This group of individuals represent the very best of the Democratic Party,” Biden said in a statement. “Their stories and long histories of activism and work reflects our party’s values and the diversity that make us so strong." 

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, applauded Whitmer's nomination, noting that "she’s obviously a very important part of Biden’s trusted team."

But Michigan GOP Chairwoman Laura Cox said the nomination is reflects her "hyper partisan term" as governor of Michigan.

“For the governor to try to advance her career while her shutdown policies are destroying the careers of thousands of Michiganders is one of the most tone-deaf decisions a politician could make," Cox said in a Friday statement. "I call on Gov. Whitmer to turn down this role and focus on restoring the livelihoods of the people of our state.”

eleblanc@detroitnews.com