MICHIGAN Governor Gretchen Whitmer was elected to office in 2018, defeating Republican candidate Attorney General Bill Schuette.

She is running for re-election as governor of Michigan and has used her platform to address abortion rights, gun violence, and education.

Who is Gretchen Whitmer?

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a Michigan native and now resides in Lansing with her husband Marc, her daughters Sherry and Sydney, and stepsons Alex, Mason, and Winston.

She served 14 years in the Michigan Legislature, as well as six years in the House, and eight years in the Senate.

After she left the Senate, Whitmer spent a year at Michigan State University where she was a lecturer on gender and the law.

She simultaneously got a job working as the legal counsel for Dickensen Wright PLLC and in 2015, Whitmer moved on to teach at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

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One year later, Whitmer was appointed as Ingham County Prosecutor and worked to negotiate the Healthy Michigan Medicaid expansion.

In 2018, Whitmer ran as a Democrat for governor and won against the Republican candidate, Attorney General Bill Schuette.

However, her approval ratings have dropped according to a poll taken by EPIC-MRA in February 2022.

The race for governor has continued to tighten as a new poll has found 48.4 percent of residents said they’d vote for Whitmer and 47.9 percent said they would vote for her opponent Tudor Dixon.

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Is Gretchen Whitmer running for reelection?

Whitmer announced she would officially be running for reelection in February 2022.

The news came in a post on Twitter, in which Whitmer wrote: “I’m Gretchen Whitmer — a proud mom, lifelong Michigander, and hardworking governor.

"I'm running for re-election in a swing state where special interests are pouring millions to unseat me. There's so much at stake in this race, but I'm ready to fight back.”

Whitmer has been an outspoken advocate for abortion rights and a well-known critic of former President Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

She was also one of the first to impose a statewide lockdown amidst the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in mass protests and a kidnapping attempt.

As the pandemic became politically charged, a group of 14 individuals plotted to kidnap Whitmer – four are in federal prison and three are in the process of standing trial.

Joseph Costello, a spokesperson for Whitmer's campaign told Forbes that the governor has repeatedly advocated for residents.

“Governor Whitmer has brought Republicans and Democrats together to deliver four balanced budgets that have made historic investments in Michigan’s public education system, infrastructure, public safety, and economy,” Costello said.

“The Governor has also gotten the state’s fiscal house in order by turning a projected $3billion deficit into a $7billion surplus, paying down billions in debt, and bringing the rainy day fund to an all-time high of nearly $1.6billion – without raising taxes.”

Speaking about her role as governor and her bid for re-election, Whitmer told the outlet: “This job of leading a state is so much more important than any individual thing that I feel or need.

"And that’s why I always remember, as Governor of Michigan, I’ve got to conduct myself in a way that honors our democracy, that honors our people, and that tries to get others to do the same.”

Who is Gretchen Whitmer running against?

Whitmer is running against Republican candidate Tudor Dixon. The two faced off in their second debate leading up to the November election on October 25.

Heading into the election, Whitmer has condemned Republicans' book ban and argued that it is a non-issue compared to gun violence.

The pair went head to head during the debate, as Dixon argued that "parents are outraged" over some book titles, proclaiming the books are "describing how to have sex."

Dixon said: “If you have material in your school that is something you can’t read to a child at a bus stop because you would be arrested because it is pornographic, then it should not be in a classroom."

Whitmer lashed back asking her opponent: "Do you really think books are more dangerous than guns?

"Like do you really think books pose a greater danger to our kids than gun violence does? Mrs. Dixon is trying to distract us.”

Dixon argued that the answer to gun violence in schools is to station armed guards at school entrances, leaving only one door open for students to enter and leave.

The debate also focused on the 2020 election, in which Whitmer called Dixon an "election denier."

Dixon has changed her stance on the election in recent weeks after first saying to a cheering crowd during a debate in May that she does believe the election was stolen from Trump.

Her response changed in July in an interview with MLive when she dodged an outright answer asking her if she believed the election was stolen.

“I believe that there was enough fraud in the election that we have to be very concerned and we have to have the strong election laws that the legislature passed to make sure our elections are fair in the future,” she said.

In September, she refused to respond to her opinions about the election, saying at a press conference: “I’ve already answered questions on the election.”

However, Whitmer brought up Dixon's stance on the election during the October debate, saying: “She refuses to accept the outcome of the last election.

“She is an election denier and never, ever has said that Joe Biden won this last election.”

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