The day after Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Michigan Governor and 2028 Democratic hopeful Gretchen Whitmer made a late-night call to the president’s floundering campaign. According to a report by Politico’s Jonathan Martin, the governor was eager to distance herself from the growing calls for her to replace Biden atop the presidential ticket and personally reassured campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon of her continued support. However, Whitmer’s call ended with a somber warning: Biden was in danger of losing Michigan.

Governor Whitmer’s ominous message was largely buried in the political avalanche that has overwhelmed the president’s campaign for reelection. During the recent U.S. presidential debate, long-simmering concerns about the 81-year-old’s mental fitness and age were exacerbated by a historically abysmal performance. Between fits of incoherent mumbling and opaque answers to attacks on his record, Biden looked visibly confused and alarmingly vulnerable. Hours after the meeting ended, polls showed President Biden’s numbers plummeting in nearly every swing state, including the must-win states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. With fears of a Republican victory at an all-time high, Democrats are privately and publicly questioning whether Biden has what it takes to win reelection.

The fallout from the June 28th debate has sent both the country and Biden’s campaign into a panic unrivaled in modern presidential politics. Columnists like Nate Silver have cast doubt on if Biden will even be nominated, and the New York Times editorial board has flat-out called on Biden to drop out. Election Day is still months away, but the gap between President Biden and Donald Trump shows no signs of shrinking. If Democrats are serious about winning, the party should consider picking a much younger and more competitive candidate before the convention. With her blue-collar background and Midwest sensibilities, Governor Whitmer would be the perfect choice to lead the party to victory in November.

Born in Lansing, Whitmer is about as blue-collar as it gets. Her parents worked for the state as attorneys, a profession she would later pursue herself. After graduating from Michigan State in 1993, Whitmer would go on to attend law school before briefly entering private practice. From 2003-2015, Whitmer served in various elected positions, including the State House and State Senate, before eventually joining the 2018 race for governor. Only two years after Trump shocked political pundits by securing Michigan’s 16 electoral votes, she defeated her Republican opponent by nearly 400,000 votes. Whitmer’s charm and down-to-earth approach to local politics quickly made her a favorite in the party. However, more importantly, her election laid the groundwork for a political shift in the state that would culminate in Biden’s 2020 victory.

In her six years as governor, Whitmer has accumulated an exceptional record. From leading the state through the COVID-19 pandemic and surviving a kidnapping plot in 2020, Whitmer has steered her state steadily. Despite the recent economic turmoil, Whitmer has led Michigan into a fiscal surplus while increasing social services and education funding. It’s no wonder that in 2022, Whitmer coasted to a second term by trouncing her Trump-backed opponent by 11%. With an approval rating of nearly 60%, Governor Whitmer is a uniquely popular figure in a must-win swing state with the legislative and bureaucratic skills required to run an effective administration.

Whitmer brings a unique set of electoral strengths to a presidential ticket that could reinvigorate the race. Firstly, as a popular Midwest governor, Whitmer would seriously cut into the lead that Trump has built in the Rust Belt these last months. This particular advantage cannot be overstated; especially in Michigan, where Trump currently leads in polls. There is virtually no path toward retaining the White House without winning both Michigan and Pennsylvania.

As a working mom with a middle-class background, Whitmer would also help retain the suburban voters in those states that cemented Biden’s victory four years ago. Perhaps most important of all, Governor Whitmer is relatively young at just 52. In a presidential contest where worries about both candidates’ age are a primary concern, introducing an energetic, younger candidate would give Democrats a pivotal advantage.

President Biden remains adamant about staying in the race, but the growing consensus among Democrats and strategists is that he cannot win. According to CNN, during a recent phone call with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, top House Democrats like Jerry Nadler, Adam Smith, and Susan Wild privately expressed their wish for Biden to step aside for a different candidate. Some have even gone so far as to publicly express their concerns, including Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas.

While unusual, there is established precedent for an incumbent president stepping down as his party’s nominee. In 1968, after barely winning the New Hampshire primary and polls showing his approval rating at 36%, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not seek the Democratic nomination. Additionally, Harry Truman decided against running for re-election in 1952, after also having a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary. Although the motivations in each scenario are different, President Biden should still pay attention to the example set by these elder statesmen.

What the Democratic Party and the country as a whole is facing is nothing short of a generational crisis in leadership. Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden would finish a second term well into their 80s, making either of them, in that likely scenario, the oldest individual to ever serve as president. America’s allies overseas are feverishly preparing for the international chaos that would come from Trump’s return to the White House, whilst also questioning the mental fortitude of Biden to even continue as president. Both men are deeply unpopular with the average American voter and fundamentally represent the exhausting state of domestic politics.

By nominating a different candidate, Democrats could save the country from another four years of questionable leadership. The time is now to turn the political page, and leaders like Governor Whitmer represent the next chapter.