It has happened to virtually every modern-day governor in Michigan history, dating all the way back to former Gov. Soapy Williams and followed by George Romney, Bill Milliken, Jim Blanchard, John Engler, Jennifer Granholm, and Rick Snyder. At some point, their names were mentioned for posts in a national administration, including three governors whose names were weaved into the speculation about vice president, namely Mr. Milliken, Engler, and Snyder.

Now, there is a fourth. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

She was asked for the first time the other day, “Give me a one-word reaction to Gretchen Whitmer for vice president.”

It was after her appearance on the Fox Theatre stage just before the second national Democratic presidential debate in Detroit that triggered that question in the spin room.

And it was not long after that the term “vice president” and the name Gretchen Whitmer ended-up in the same sentence.

A New Jersey political writer put it into print several weeks ago and, back in this town, capitol correspondents and other insiders eagerly added to the conversation.

As did some Republican special interest groups that blasted Ms. Whitmer for seeking out national TV exposure while leaving a budget negotiation to do it.

But wait. It gets worse.

A week ago, during a taping of “Off the Record,” one reporter indicated she had picked up a source who suggested the governor’s frontal attack on teenage vaping was designed in part to advance her national persona and another panelist confessed he had had the same idea when the vaping story was leaked to the Washington Post. Political reporters are constantly looking for hidden agendas in every move a governor makes, and some of them thought they found one with this vaping stuff.

If anything, this town loves the “governor-could-be-VP-candidate” storyline, just as it did years ago when, at a state GOP convention, Milliken got into the mix by the “great-mentioner,” as his former chief of staff, George Weeks, used to say. When Engler made the campaign rounds side-by-side with GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole, the rumor mill kicked in big-time for him, as it did for Snyder, who played it for all it was worth and did nothing to drive a nail in it. And, in this case, he did have a hidden agenda.

He sheepishly finally confessed that, even though he had zero interest in VP, driven in large part by his spouse’s strong aversion to it, he let the speculation continue because “it gave me a chance to tell the Michigan story.”

Every time a curious reporter asked about the second spot on the national ticket, Snyder would give an evasive answer, so as to keep the story going, but then he would neatly segue into how well Michigan was doing. It was free publicity, and all he had to do was dupe the poor, unsuspecting reporter into thinking he might want to be VP. He explains he never lied about it.

To be sure, but, equally so, he didn’t tell the whole truth, either. That was not a problem for Ms. Whitmer, as you’re about to read.

Which brings us back to the original question in the interview with Whitmer –which happened just after, by the way, an appearance on CNN talking about vaping.

“Give me a one-word reaction to Gretchen Whitmer for vice president.”

She first made a quiet sound and then gave a one-word answer, “No.”

“Give me another word,” the interview commenced.

There was the Whitmer laugh, and then, “All this speculation is such a distraction from all the stuff that I’m trying to get done, and so I’m not going to engage in it.”

Nice try.

“So give me a Sherman statement (‘If drafted I will not run. If elected I will not serve’).”

She laughs again and segues into what she wanted to talk about: “Let’s talk about the budget.”

And no need to repeat that here, as you’ve heard that all before.

Though she said “no,” in this hyperactive social media climate we are in, there will be some who will not take “no” for an answer.

In fact, when some other reporters got wind of the story, they were quick not take her at her word.

“Of course she said no,” noted one scribe. “No one who ever campaigns for vice president, gets to be vice president.”

Another reflected, “What else would you expect her to say?”

In other words, her “no,” those folks think, did not mean “no.”

Hence, one final attempt to put the story to rest.

“Say for me, ‘I do not want to be vice president.”

A third laugh, and then this, “I do not want to be vice president.”

“That puts that to rest, doesn’t it?”

“I am grateful to be the 49th governor of the State of Michigan. I am determined to see it through on all of the agenda items I have set.”

And with that, the interview is over as she walks away hoping it is her last interview on this VP thing.

Ha.