Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer on election night. (Photo: Michael Lucido)
For months now, loyal Democrats have been warning voters not to underestimate Gretchen Whitmer, especially as a candidate. As flashier, newer faces got more media attention -- Abdul El-Sayed, Shri Thanedar -- Whitmer whipped both handily in the August primary, and did the same to GOP nominee Bill Schuette earlier this week. And all the while, many Democrats sighed and called her Hillary Jr.
Now The New York Times notices in a flattering profile.
Ms. Whitmer was not one of the surprising, insurgent Democratic nominees for governor this cycle, as her campaign for Michigan’s governorship was flush with money and key endorsements from the outset. She did not have the up-from-nothing background story of some other Democratic candidates; after all, a building in downtown Detroit is named for her father, the former chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield. She was not Abdul El-Sayed, the fiery leftist whose campaign for governor captured national attention, but who lost badly to Ms. Whitmer in the primary.
And she was not Hillary Clinton, whose 2016 failure in Michigan still reverberates among Democrats throughout the state.
But after a nearly 10-point victory Tuesday over the Republican state attorney general, Bill Schuette, Ms. Whitmer is finally getting recognition for who she is: a shrewd politician tailor-made for Michigan, whose pragmatic approach to policymaking has consistently been underrated by opponents in both parties.
Yep, that about sums it up. Facing a Republican legislature that may not be inclined to help her accomplish her goals, she will need that pragmatism. As Lon Johnson, former state party chair, puts it:
“I think that Hillary was viewed as a part of the hyper partisanship of this country, and Gretchen is not,” Mr. Johnson said. “She’s rightly viewed as someone who’s reasoned and effective and doesn’t join the shouting.’’
It's a good piece. Use one of your free clicks this month and get acquainted with Michigan's next governor.
