Gretchen Whitmer

Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. Before becoming governor, 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 Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in communication in 1993 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1998. Her political career began in 2000 when she was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. In 2006, she won a special election to the state senate and became its first female Democratic leader from 2011 to 2015.

In 2013, Whitmer gained national attention for a floor speech during a debate on abortion and she shared her experience of being sexually assaulted. For six months in 2016, she was the prosecutor for Ingham County. Whitmer was elected governor in 2018, defeating Republican nominee Bill Schuette.

Whitmer has identified herself as a progressive. As governor, she has focused on healthcare and infrastructure legislation. In February 2020, she was selected to give the Democratic response to then President Donald Trump's 2020 State of the Union Address. In October 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation thwarted a far-right militia group's kidnapping plot against Whitmer. Whitmer has served as one of the vice chairs of the Democratic National Committee from 2021 to 2025, and was reelected as governor in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Tudor Dixon.

 Political career 
 Michigan Legislature 
 Michigan House of Representatives 
Whitmer began her political career in 2001, when she was inaugurated to the Michigan House of Representatives. She served there until March 16, 2006. Five days later, she joined the Michigan Senate.

 Michigan Senate 
Whitmer was inaugurated to the Michigan Senate on March 21, 2006, five days after leaving the Michigan House. She would continue serving through 2014. She spent the last four years in the Michigan Senate as Minority Leader.

 Ingham County Prosecutor 
After the resignation of Stuart Dunnings III as the result of a scandal, Whitmer was unanimously chosen as his successor in the position of Prosecutor of Ingham County. She served their through the second half of 2016.

 Governor of Michigan 
She was elected governor in 2018. She described herself as progressive, and has worked with progressive leaders in Michigan as governor.

On October 8, 2020, the FBI arrested 13 people for attempting to kidnap her and overthrow the state government. The suspects were tied to a far-right militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen.

 Personal life 

 Early life 
Gretchen Esther Whitmer was born on August 23, 1971, in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan.

Whitmer married Gary Shrewsbery, with whom she had two children, before their divorce. In 2011, she married dentist Marc Mallory, who had 3 sons in his previous marriage. The family currently lives in East Lansing.

References

Category:1971 births
Category:Living people
Category:Governors of Michigan
Category:People from Lansing, Michigan
Category:Democratic Party (United States) politicians