Whitmer ends run for Mich. attorney general

State Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, announced today she is dropping out of the Michigan attorney general race.

Whitmer, an East Lansing native and MSU alumna, was considered the front-runner for the democratic nomination.

“As I have traveled our state, it has become clear to me that this rigorous campaign schedule and pursuit cannot continue if I am to be the best mother I can to my 6- and 7-year-old daughters,” she said in a statement. “It is with this in mind, I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration for the Office of Attorney General.”

Her campaign has raised $200,000 in three months, according to the statement.

Other democrats pursuing the nomination are Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton and Farmington Hills attorney Richard Bernstein. Republicans hoping for the nomination are Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop of Rochester, former Appeals Court Judge Bill Schuette and state Sen. Bruce Patterson of Canton Township.

Current Republican Attorney General Mike Cox is term-limited and a contender for the 2010 gubernatorial election.

“I remain committed to fixing what’s broken in state government and standing up for the citizens of Michigan,” Whitmer said. “My pursuit of doing so as Michigan’s next Attorney General may be ending, but my fight to protect consumers, reform government, and keep our families safe continues.”