Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Esther Whitmer is an American lawyer and politician who has been serving as Michigan’s governor since 2019. A Democrat, she previously spent years in Michigan’s state legislature and, briefly, as a local prosecutor.
Whitmer was born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1971. She grew up in Michigan, earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Michigan State University in 1993, and earned a law degree from MSU College of Law in 1998. After practicing law, she entered public service, starting in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2001. In 2006 she moved to the Michigan Senate, where she later became the first woman to lead the Senate’s Democratic caucus (2011–2015). She also served as the prosecutor for Ingham County for six months in 2016.
In 2018, Whitmer won the race for governor, defeating Republican Bill Schuette. She ran on improving Michigan’s “fundamentals”—roads, schools, water systems, and health care. Her slogan to fix the roads became a hallmark of her administration.
Key early actions as governor included tackling a difficult budget with a focus on infrastructure. She pushed for investment in roads and water systems and pushed for policies to expand health care access. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Whitmer issued stay-at-home orders in 2020 to protect public health and later guided Michigan through reopening. Her handling of the pandemic drew both praise and political debate.
Whitmer has sought to use state policy to expand health care and protect reproductive rights. She supported Medicaid expansion in Michigan and, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, backed repealing a long-standing abortion ban in Michigan. In 2022, Michigan voters approved Proposal 3, enshrining a right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution.
On the economic side, Whitmer pushed tax cuts and incentives to boost business and manufacturing. She signed laws to reduce the price of prescription drugs and increase transparency in drug pricing. She also created programs to help workers, such as the Michigan Reconnect program, which offers tuition-free education or training to adults without a college degree, and the Futures for Frontliners program for essential workers during the pandemic. She helped expand the state’s rainy-day fund and paid down debt, contributing to a stronger fiscal outlook for Michigan.
Whitmer is a strong supporter of clean energy and water safety. Her administration reorganized government departments, expanded water infrastructure, and created a Clean Water Public Advocate office. She backed efforts to remove lead and other contaminants from drinking water and supported large infrastructure projects, including programs to upgrade roads and bridges.
In the realm of civil rights, Whitmer backed expanding Michigan’s civil rights protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. She also supported LGBTQ rights and worked to improve school safety and gun safety, signing a package of laws in 2023 that included universal background checks and a red-flag law that took effect in 2024.
Whitmer’s national profile grew when she delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union in 2020 and when she served in leadership roles within the Democratic National Committee. She was considered a potential vice-presidential candidate and later co-chaired Joe Biden’s inaugural committee. She also launched efforts to support Democratic candidates in 2024 through the Fight Like Hell PAC.
Her leadership has not been without controversy. In 2020, federal authorities foiled a kidnapping plot by a Michigan-based militia against her. In 2024, she apologized for a photo-op at a restaurant during the pandemic that drew criticism over social distancing.
Whitmer is known as “Big Gretch,” a nickname that has followed her into popular culture. She is married twice and has two daughters. She lives in the Michigan Governor’s Mansion in Lansing and is active in Michigan’s civic life, with a focus on infrastructure, health care, education, and civil rights. Whitmer’s work as governor has made her a prominent figure in both state and national politics.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:58 (CET).