Lansing, Michigan - Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently addressed rumors that she could replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee if he could be convinced to drop out of the race.

According to Politico, Whitmer called Biden campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon last Friday and reportedly told him she "hated" that she was being named as a possible contender to take over in the presidential race.

She reiterated her support for Biden and her commitment to helping him get re-elected.

The conversation came a day after Biden participated in a debate with his Republican rival, Donald Trump, in an event that many critics have panned as one of the worst of all time.

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Biden's performance, in particular, received significant criticism, as the 81-year-old politician froze up, lost his train of thought, and mixed up details on multiple occasions.

The upset has sent the Democratic Party into panic mode, sparking rumors that Biden could be replaced with another, more popular Democratic politician, with names like Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsome, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

Later in their conversation, Whitmer reportedly told Dillon that she believed the debate may have cost Biden's chances of winning her state of Michigan in November.

Whitmer's alleged comment is alarming, with the presidential race being neck and neck for both major party candidates, and as her state, which she has managed to win twice, is considered a swing state that Democrats cannot afford to lose.

Biden's team has been aggressively playing defense since the debate, giving numerous excuses for his poor performance and attempting to turn the focus on the many lies that Trump told during the event.

Still, a poll conducted by CBS News after the debate found that 72% of registered voters don't believe Biden should be running at all, a sharp rise from a previous poll, and 86% of those voters listed his age as the biggest factor for their opinion.

In a statement responding to reports of her comment, Whitmer did not deny that she said it but said she believed Biden would win her state because "he's got the receipts."