Candidate Profile: Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Governor

MICHIGAN — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is running for re-election for governor of Michigan. She is running unopposed in the Democratic primary on Aug. 2, and will face the winner of the Republican primary, as well as Kevin Hogan of the Green Party and Libertarian Mary Buzuma in November's general election.

Whitmer was first elected as governor of Michigan in 2018. Prior to serving as governor, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and then the Michigan State Senate from 2006 to 2015. While serving in the state senate, she became Democratic minority leader, marking the first time a woman led a caucus in the chamber.

Here's how Whitmer filled out her candidate profile:

Name

Gretchen Whitmer

Campaign website

https://www.gretchenwhitmer.co...

City or town of residence

Lansing, Michigan

Office sought

Governor

District, if applicable

N/A

Party affiliation

Democrat

Education

Michigan State University (BA, 1993), Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University (JD, 1998)

Occupation

I have served as Michigan’s 49th governor since 2019.

Family

I live with my husband in Lansing, along with our dogs Kevin and Doug. I have two daughters, Sherry and Sydney, and three stepsons, Alex, Mason, and Winston.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

N/A

Age

51

Previous public office, appointive or elective

I previously served as Ingham County Prosecutor in 2016, in the State Senate from 2006-2015, and in the State House of Representatives from 2001-2006.

Why are you seeking this office?

Tough times call for tough people, and despite all the challenges we have faced over the past few years, we have made so much progress working together to build a stronger Michigan. By focusing on the fundamentals, we have made historic strides in improving education, strengthening our infrastructure, keeping communities safe, creating good-paying jobs, and lowering costs for families. I am willing to sit down with anyone to put Michiganders first, and I look forward to building on the momentum of the last four years.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am working to build a stronger Michigan by bringing people together to deliver on the kitchen table issues. I believe that when we focus on the fundamentals, it is easier to see that there is more that unites than divides us. I created two programs that have put more than 170,000 Michiganders on a path to tuition free skills training and community college. We are fixing the damn roads and have repaired over 13,000 lane miles and over 900 bridges, while supporting more than 80,000 good paying jobs. We cut taxes for small businesses, secured $400 refund checks for every Michigan driver, and delivered over $400 million to support small businesses and retain jobs. We have secured 25,000 new auto jobs – including the largest investment in GM’s history being made right here in Michigan – as part of the biggest manufacturing boom in years, ensuring that the future of manufacturing is made in Michigan, by Michigan workers. While my opponents are focused on banning abortion and cutting funding for education, infrastructure, and law enforcement, I’m working with anyone to get things done for Michiganders.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

N/A

Do you think the federal government can or should do more to curb inflation, which has led to an increase in prices for food, gas and other goods?

Right now, I'm focused on what we can do to help lower costs for Michigan families and I am fighting to help Michiganders keep more of their hard-earned money. We have worked to cut costs for families by securing $400 refund checks for every Michigan driver, for each car they own – a total of $3 billion back in the pockets of Michiganders. We have increased food assistance for more than one million Michiganders, made child care more affordable, provided funding to support young families with free diapers, and I signed a package of bills aimed at cutting the cost of prescriptions and protecting Michiganders from surprise medical billing.

I pushed to more than triple the Earned Income Tax Credit, which would save over 700,000 families an average combined tax credit of $3,000 a year. I proposed repealing the retirement tax which would save half a million households an average of $1,000 a year. I support pausing the state's 6 percent sales tax on gas to immediately save drivers money at the pump. Michigan’s hardworking families need relief right now, and I will work with anyone to get it done.

Do you support changing the state’s constitution to ensure that women have to right to get an abortion?

The recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade is devastating. When we saw indications this might be coming months ago, I filed a lawsuit in April and used my authority as governor to ask the Michigan Supreme Court to immediately resolve whether our state constitution protects right to abortion and ensure Michigan’s draconian 1931 abortion ban never goes back into effect.

Michigan Republicans support the 1931 law banning abortions without exceptions for rape or incest and introduced a bill that would punish nurses and doctors with ten to twenty year prison sentences. Every single one of my opponents supports the 1931 ban and has pledged to enforce it if elected.

I am fighting like hell to ensure my daughters do not live in a world where they have fewer rights than I did, and I am more determined than ever to protect the right to choose in Michigan.

Do you support the Raise the Wage ballot initiative, which would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027 and provide cost-of-living increases in later years?

I believe Michiganders deserve to be paid fairly for their work. I have supported efforts to raise the Michigan minimum wage to $15 and believe any action on that front should also include support for small businesses. I proposed, as part of my Economic Jumpstart Plan, a framework to increase worker pay to $15 an hour through state grants to help businesses fill jobs while boosting wages for workers. I reinstated prevailing wage for state contractors. I am working to grow Michigan’s economy and creating good paying jobs that support Michigan families.

Would you support an election initiative to require another audit of the 2020 presidential election, to transfer authority over the audit from the Secretary of State to a newly created auditing panel, and to change how elections are reviewed in the future?

In 2020, we saw record turnout with the most secure, accessible election in our state’s history – one that was administered by more than 1,600 local Republican, Democratic, and nonpartisan election clerks. We already have secure elections and effective voter ID laws in Michigan, and more than 250 audits confirmed that the 2020 election in Michigan was secure and fair. I have vetoed proposals that would suppress voters and make Michigan voting laws some of the most repressive in the nation. I will always fight for Michiganders’ fundamental right to vote and make their voices heard.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

I will continue to bring Republicans and Democrats together to put Michiganders first and deliver progress by creating good-paying jobs, improving education, keeping our communities safe, building resilient infrastructure, lowering costs for families, and protecting Michiganders’ fundamental rights.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Despite unprecedented challenges, we have made so much progress to create opportunity for every community in Michigan. We made the largest investment in K-12 education in state history and passed four balanced budgets – without raising taxes. We turned a projected $3 billion deficit into a $7 billion surplus. With the partnership of the Legislature, we landed a $7 billion investment from GM, the largest in company history; a $2 billion investment from Ford; and a nearly $2 billion investment from LG – all bringing thousands of good-paying jobs to Michigan. I have signed 900 bipartisan bills, and I am willing to sit down with anyone to put Michiganders first.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My mom is one of my biggest inspirations – she was a phenomenal human and a brilliant lawyer who went to law school while she was raising three children. There’s a story she used to tell that has stuck with me, about a day when she was wearing her favorite color, which was fuchsia. A friend of hers said, “You know, Sherry, you can’t wear pink to court.” And she responded, “Fuchsia is my power color.” It’s one of the things that I always remember about my mom – she was authentically herself in all things, and she showed me that when women show up as we are, it is powerful and it is empowering. I am grateful that I grew up in a household with strong, powerful women who paved the way for where I am today.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

The best part about Michigan is the people who call it home. Despite all of the challenges of the past few years, we have made historic progress for Michiganders.

I am proud to be your Governor, and I would be honored to continue fighting for Michiganders.