Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. 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.
Gretchen Whitmer | |
|---|---|
Whitmer in 2021 | |
| 49th Governor of Michigan | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
| Lieutenant | Garlin Gilchrist |
| Preceded by | Rick Snyder |
| Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee | |
| Assumed office January 21, 2021 | |
| Chair | Jaime Harrison |
| Preceded by | Grace Meng |
| Prosecuting Attorney of Ingham County | |
| 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, 2003 – March 21, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Michael C. Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Mark Meadows |
| Constituency | 69th district |
| In office January 1, 2001 – January 1, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Laura Baird |
| Succeeded by | Judy Emmons |
| Constituency | 70th district |
| Chair of the East Lansing Transportation Commission | |
| In office 1999–2000 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gretchen Esther Whitmer August 23, 1971 Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Gary Shrewsbury (divorced)Marc Mallory (m. 2011) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Governor's Mansion |
| Education | Michigan State University (BA, JD) |
| Signature | |
Whitmer was born and raised in Michigan. She is a graduate of Forest Hills Central High School, Michigan State University, and the Detroit College of Law. Her political career began in 2000 when she was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. In 2006, she became a state senator, a position she kept until 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 prosecutor for Ingham County. Whitmer was elected governor in 2018, defeating Republican nominee and state attorney general Bill Schuette.
As governor, Whitmer 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. On October 8, the Federal Bureau of Investigation thwarted a militia group's kidnapping plot against Whitmer. Since January 2021, Whitmer has served as one of the vice chairs of the Democratic National Committee. She was reelected governor in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Tudor Dixon.