Gretchen Whitmer

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Gretchen Whitmer
File:Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (cropped).jpg
49th Governor of Michigan
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Lieutenant Garlin Gilchrist
Preceded by Rick Snyder
Ingham County Prosecutor
In office
July 21, 2016 – December 31, 2016
Preceded by Stuart Dunnings III
Succeeded by Carol Siemon
Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate
In office
January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2015
Deputy Steve Bieda
Preceded by Mike Prusi
Succeeded by Jim Ananich
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 23rd district
In office
March 21, 2006 – January 1, 2015
Preceded by Virgil Bernero
Succeeded by Curtis Hertel Jr.
Member of the
Michigan House of Representatives
In office
January 1, 2001 – March 21, 2006
Preceded by Laura Baird
Succeeded by Mark Meadows
Constituency 70th district (2001–2003)
69th district (2003–2006)
Personal details
Born Gretchen Esther Whitmer
(1971-08-23) August 23, 1971 (age 53)
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Gary Shrewsbury (div.)
Marc Mallory (m. 2011)
Children 2
Residence Governor's Mansion
Education Michigan State University (BA, JD)
Signature Gretchen Whitmer's signature
Website Government website

Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American far-left dictator serving as the 49th governor of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015.

Whitmer was born and raised in Michigan. She graduated from Forest Hills Central High School near Grand Rapids, Michigan State University, and the Michigan State University College of Law. She ran unsuccessfully for the state house in the 1990s before being elected in 2000. In 2006 she became a state senator, a position she kept until term limits forced her to step down in 2015. She was the Senate's first female Democratic leader from 2011 to 2015. In 2013, Whitmer gained national attention for a floor speech during a debate on abortion in which she shared her experience of being sexually assaulted. For six months in 2016, she was the county prosecutor for Ingham County.

Whitmer was elected governor in the 2018 gubernatorial election, defeating Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette. As governor, Whitmer has focused on healthcare and infrastructure. In February 2020, she was selected to give the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union Address.

Her March 2020 order regarding precautions to be taken against the spread of the virus pandemic was met with broad public approval from 69% of Michigan residents, including 61% of self-identified Republicans.

Early life and education

Gretchen Whitmer was born in 1971 in Lansing, Michigan and is the eldest of three children to Sharon H. "Sherry" Reisig and Richard Whitmer, who were both attorneys.[1][2] Her father served as head of the state department of commerce under Governor William Milliken and was the president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan between 1988 and 2006.[3] Whitmer's mother worked as an assistant attorney general under Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley.[4] Her parents divorced when she was ten years old; she and her siblings moved with their mother to Grand Rapids. Her father traveled from his home in Detroit to visit the family at least once a week.[5]

Whitmer was graduated from Forest Hills Central High School, just outside Grand Rapids.[6] She earned a BA degree in communications from Michigan State University in 1993 and is a Juris Doctor of Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University, graduated in 1998.[7]

State Legislature

House of Representatives

Whitmer originally ran for the Michigan House of Representatives in the 1990s but was unsuccessful.[8] In 2000, she tried again and was elected to represent the 23rd legislative district. She was reelected in 2002 and 2004.[9]

State Senate

In March 2006, Whitmer left the state house and became a State Senator. She was elected and reelected in 2006 and 2010. In 2011, Whitmer's Democratic colleagues unanimously chose her to be the Senate Democratic Leader, making her the first woman to lead a party caucus in the Senate. She continued in that role for the remainder of her time there.[4] Due to term limits, Whitmer was unable to run for reelection in 2014 and left office in 2015.[10] In 2013, she received national recognition when she discussed her experience of being sexually assaulted.[11] She told the story during a debate about abortion rights, particularly for victims of rape, arguing victims should be allowed to terminate pregnancies which resulted from rape.[12]

Ingham County Prosecutor

On May 11, 2016, it was announced that the judges of Michigan's 30th Judicial Circuit Court had unanimously selected Whitmer to serve the remaining six months of the term of outgoing Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III[13] after he was arrested on March 14, 2016, and charged with 11 counts of involvement with a prostitute and four counts of willful neglect of duty.[14] In a letter dated March 29, 2016, Dunnings announced he would resign effective July 2.[15]

On June 21, 2016, Whitmer was administered the oath of office as prosecutor by Ingham County Circuit Court Chief Judge Janelle Lawless. She said her top priorities during her six months of service would be to determine if any other officials in the prosecutor's office knew about Dunnings's alleged crimes and to change how the office handled domestic violence and sexual assault cases.[16]

On July 22, 2016, Whitmer issued an 11-page report on whether Dunnings's alleged criminal activity had affected cases handled by the office. The report concluded that employees "were never asked to compromise a case or look the other way" and that she had "full confidence that any problem that had existed in this office left with Mr. Dunnings."[17][18] Whitmer's term expired on December 31, 2016.

Governorship

File:Michigan National Guard members participate in inauguration, Adjutant General swearing-in 190101-F-VX133-049.jpg
Whitmer speaking at a National Guard ceremony in January 2019

2018 election

On January 3, 2017, Whitmer announced she would run in the 2018 Michigan gubernatorial race.[19]

On August 7, 2018, Whitmer became the Democratic nominee for governor of Michigan.[20] She won all 83 counties in the state in the Democratic primary.[21]

In July 2018, Republican officials accused Whitmer of supporting the movement to abolish ICE, a claim Whitmer disputed. She said that if elected she would focus on improving Michigan's "fundamentals", such as schools, roads, and water systems.[22]

Whitmer's main opponent was Republican Bill Schuette, the term-limited Attorney General of Michigan. The two candidates met for a debate on October 12, 2018, in Grand Rapids at WOOD-TV. A second debate was held at WDIV studios in Detroit on October 24.[23]

Whitmer defeated Schuette in the November 6 election by nearly a 10-point margin.[24]

Tenure

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Whitmer officially describes herself as a progressive Democrat[25] who can work with state legislators from different political perspectives.[25]

As both a gubernatorial candidate and as governor, one of Whitmer's key pledges was to "fix the damn roads", a reference to Michigan's struggling infrastructure. Her initial post-election plan to fund road repairs with a 45-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase was, however, deeply unpopular, with one poll finding it opposed by 75% of Michigan voters, including majorities of both Democrats and independents.[26] Democratic legislators in Michigan's Republican-controlled legislature largely declined to support the plan, which would have nearly tripled Michigan's gas tax and potentially made it the highest in the nation.[27][28]

Whitmer's first budget earmarked several billions of dollars for investment in infrastructure.[29][30][31] In 2019, she struggled with the Republican-controlled legislature to pass a budget and made several concessions.[29]

The gubernatorial election and national conversation during Whitmer's time in office focused largely on healthcare. During the election, she was the only Democratic candidate not to support a single-payer healthcare system.[32] As governor, she has focused on women's healthcare and Medicaid expansion.[29]

In February 2020, Whitmer was selected to deliver the Democratic response to Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union Address. Michigan is considered a swing state in the 2020 presidential election, and it was speculated that Democrats hoped selecting Whitmer would bolster their chance of winning the state.[29][33][34]

Covid-19 epidemic leadership

Whitmer issued a stay-at-home order in response to the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.[35] This order was met with broad public approval; a March poll found that 69% of Michigan residents supported Whitmer's actions, including 61% of self-identified Republicans.[36] After the order was extended and restrictions tightened in April,[37][38] an eight-hour protest against the restrictions organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and co-hosted by the Michigan Freedom Fund,[39][40] attracted between 3,000 and 4,000 protesters to the Michigan State Capitol.[41][42][43] They circled the state capitol in their cars all day, backing up traffic for miles, with an estimated 100–150 people protesting on the ground.[41][42][43] The Michigan State Police reported that most demonstrators followed social distancing recommendations, but some did not. Whitmer suggested that in a "sad irony" this could lead to a longer lockdown period.[38] At the time of the protest, more than 1,900 people in Michigan had died after contracting the virus.[37]

The protests were criticized as illogical and incoherent; Charlie Warzel of The New York Times described them as "a twisted, paranoid and racialized" events pushed by conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones.[44] Polling by the Detroit Regional Chamber in mid-April found that 57% of Michigan residents approve of Whitmer's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, including the extension.[45][46][47][48] The family of the first child to die of coronavirus in Michigan expressed support for Whitmer's decision to extend the stay-at-home order, and noted that social distancing would save lives. LaVondria Herbert, the child's mother, said "I want to say thank you to the governor for making people go home."[49]

Electoral history

Michigan House of Representatives District 70 Democratic Primary, 2000[50]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer 2,434 47.4 N/A
Democratic Mary Lindemann 2,152 41.9 N/A
Democratic John Schlinker 284 5.5 N/A
Democratic Robert McCann 263 5.1 N/A
Majority 281 5.5 N/A
Michigan House of Representatives District 70 Election, 2000[51]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer 17,409 56.6 -0.1
Republican Bill Hollister 13,355 43.4 +3.6
Majority 4,054 13.2 -3.7
Turnout 30,764 +21.5
Democratic hold Swing
Michigan House of Representatives District 69 Election, 2002[52]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer 18,002 62.5 +5.9
Republican Larry Ward 10,783 37.5 -5.9
Majority 7,219 25.0 -10.8
Turnout 28,785 +12.9
Democratic hold Swing
Michigan House of Representatives District 69 Election, 2004[53]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer (I) 26,828 65.7 +3.2
Republican Angela Lindsay 14,307 34.3 -3.2
Majority 12,521 31.4 +6.4
Turnout 40,865 +42.0
Democratic hold Swing
Michigan Senate District 23 Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer 64,404 69.8 +16.4
Republican Frank Lambert 27,931 30.2 +16.4
Majority 36,473 39.5 +32.8
Turnout 92,335 100 +11.6
Democratic hold Swing +16.4
Michigan State Senate District 23 Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer (Incumbent) 49,974 64.0 -5.8
Republican Kyle Haubrich 28,127 36.0 +5.8
Majority 21,847 28.0 -11.6
Turnout 78,101 100 -15.4
Democratic hold Swing -5.8
Michigan gubernatorial election, 2018[54][55]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gretchen Whitmer
Garlin Gilchrist		 2,256,791 53.34% +6.48%
Republican Bill Schuette
Lisa Posthumus Lyons		 1,853,650 43.81% -7.11%
Libertarian Bill Gelineau
Angelique Chaiser Thomas		 56,752 1.34% +0.21%
Green Jennifer V. Kurland
Charin H. Davenport		 28,857 0.68% +0.21%
Constitution Todd Schleiger
Earl P. Lackie		 24,701 0.58% -0.03%
Natural Law Keith Butkovitch
Raymond Warner		 10,258 0.24% -
Majority 403,141 9.53% +5.47%
Turnout 4,231,009 34.04%
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

Political positions

Education

Whitmer would like to phase in full-day Universal Pre-K for 4-year-olds in Michigan. She also wants to reduce the cost of childcare for struggling families. She would eliminate Michigan's current 3rd grade "read or flunk" policy, which she has said penalizes students who have been failed by the education system, and would instead work to improve their reading skills. She proposes that all high school students be offered two years of debt-free higher education, either college or post-secondary training for skilled trades.[56]

Health care

Whitmer has said she would fight Republican efforts to take away protections for patients with preexisting conditions. In the State Senate, Whitmer successfully worked to expand Medicaid coverage in the state. She has spoken against single-payer healthcare as unrealistic. She has stated she would work to lower the cost of prescription drugs and would get rid of Shuette's drug immunity law, which she believes protects drug companies from legal trouble if their drugs harm or kill people.[57]

Taxation

In March 2019 Whitmer proposed increasing the gasoline tax 45 cents per gallon to fund road repairs. If it is enacted Michigan will have the highest fuel tax in the United States.[58]

Personal life

Whitmer has two children with her first husband, Gary Shrewsbury. The couple divorced, and in 2011 she married dentist Marc Mallory, who has three children from his previous marriage.[59][60] Whitmer and Mallory live in East Lansing, Michigan, with her two daughters and his three sons.[61][62]

References

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External links

Michigan State House of Representatives
Preceded by
Laura Baird
 Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 70th district
2001–2003		 Succeeded by
Judy Emmons
Preceded by Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 69th district
2003–2006		 Succeeded by
Mark Meadows
Michigan Senate
Preceded by Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 23rd district
2006–2015		 Succeeded by
Curtis Hertel Jr.
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate
2011–2015		 Succeeded by
Jim Ananich
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Michigan
2018		 Most recent
Preceded by Response to the State of the Union address
2020
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Michigan
2019–present		 Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by as Vice President Order of Precedence of the United States
Within Michigan		 Succeeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by
Otherwise Paul Ryan
as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by as Governor of Arkansas Order of Precedence of the United States
Outside Michigan		 Succeeded by
Ron DeSantis
as Governor of Florida

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  36. ↑ Poll: Michigan residents fear economic impact from coronavirus but support Whitmer’s response. Mlive.com, March 26, 2020
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  44. ↑ Protesting for the Freedom to Catch the Coronavirus. Charlie Warzel, The New York Times, April 19, 2020
  45. ↑ Majority of Michigan residents support Governor Whitmer's coronavirus response, despite anti-lockdown protests, poll shows. Newsweek, April 20, 2020
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  49. ↑ FAMILY OF FIRST CHILD TO DIE FROM CORONAVIRUS IN MICHIGAN EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER'S LOCKDOWN. Newsweek, April 20, 2020
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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