Tenure
Whitmer describes herself as a progressive Democrat, who can work with state legislators from different political perspectives.
As both a gubernatorial candidate and as governor, one of Whitmer's key pledges was to "fix the damn roads", a reference to Michigan's struggling infrastructure. Her initial post-election plan to fund road repairs with a 45-cent-per-US-gallon (12 ¢/L) gas tax increase was deeply unpopular, with one poll finding it opposed by 75% of Michigan voters, including majorities of Democrats and independent voters. Democratic legislators in Michigan's Republican-controlled legislature largely declined to support the plan, which would have nearly tripled Michigan's gas tax and potentially made it the highest in the nation.
Whitmer's first budget earmarked several billions of dollars for investment in infrastructure. In 2019, she struggled with the Republican-controlled legislature to pass a budget and made several concessions.
The gubernatorial election and national conversation during Whitmer's time in office focused largely on healthcare. During the election, she was the only Democratic candidate not to support a single-payer healthcare system. As governor, she has focused on women's healthcare and Medicaid expansion.
In May 2020, the Edenville Dam gave way after awaiting an overdue report on its safety standards. Whitmer directed the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to form an investigation that "state Republicans, flooding victim advocates and dam safety experts" criticized, concerned that the state's environmental agency would essentially be investigating itself. Guidelines from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials advocate independent investigators. An inquiry launched by the United States House of Representatives later gave the EGLE and FERC a two-week deadline for answers.
After the 2022 Michigan elections, Democrats took control of the Senate and House of Representatives, allowing Whitmer greater control of her legislative agenda. In her January 2023 State of the State address, she called for repeal of the state's retirement tax; an increase in the state earned income tax credit from 6% to 30%, universal pre-kindergarten; investment in renewable energy such as wind and solar power; a repeal of Michigan's now defunct 1931 abortion ban; increasing education spending, and stricter gun laws, such as universal background checks and a ban on 3D printed guns; the addition of sexual identity and gender identity protections to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act; and further investment in manufacturing.
In March 2020, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Whitmer issued a stay-at-home order. She extended Michigan's stay-at-home order several times before lifting it on June 1, 2020, when she moved the state to "phase four" of her reopening plan. In April 2020, right-wing groups such as the Michigan Conservative Coalition and Michigan Freedom Fund organized an eight-hour protest against the restrictions. Between 3,000 and 4,000 protesters gathered at the Michigan State Capitol. New York Times columnist Charlie Warzel called the protest "twisted, paranoid and racialized", pushed by conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones. Polling in March and April 2020 found that the majority of Michiganders approved of Whitmer's actions to combat the pandemic. At the time of the protest, more than 1,900 people in Michigan had died after contracting the virus.
In April 2020, a Michigan judge rejected a legal challenge to Whitmer's stay-at-home order, holding that the state had the power to protect the public health against "a highly communicable and deadly virus" and that the order did not infringe upon constitutional rights.
After the stay-at-home order was lifted on June 1, 2020, certain other COVID-19-related measures, such as capacity limits, remained in place, until Whitmer lifted all restrictions on June 22, 2021, citing a reduction in COVID-19 cases and the availability of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.
In May 2021, Whitmer apologized after being photographed with a large group of unmasked people, with no social distancing, at a restaurant in East Lansing. The restaurant was violating state-mandated social distancing guidelines that restricted indoor dining to six people per table.
Whitmer's COVID-19-related orders in the early days of the pandemic, from March through September 2020, were issued under the 1945 Emergency Powers of Governor Act. Republicans criticized her use of the law, and the legislature passed legislation to repeal it; she vetoed the repeal in December 2020. The law thus remained on the books, but was unenforceable due to an October 2020 decision by the Michigan Supreme Court, which ruled 4–3 that the 1945 act was unconstitutional because it allowed "the governor to declare emergencies and keep them in place without legislative input" and unanimously ruled that the 1976 Emergency Management Act "did not give Whitmer the power, after April 30, to issue or renew any executive orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic after 28 days without Legislative approval". On the same day, a group called "Unlock Michigan" turned in 460,000 valid citizen signatures to the Michigan Secretary of State's Office, seeking to trigger an initiative to repeal the 1945 act. In July 2021, the legislature voted to approve the citizen initiative. Under state law, Whitmer could not veto this step, and the repeal took effect.
In February 2020, Whitmer was selected to deliver the Democratic response to the State of the Union address by then President Donald Trump. Michigan was considered a swing state in the 2020 United States presidential election, and it was speculated that Democrats hoped selecting Whitmer would bolster their chance of winning the state.
In early March, days before the 2020 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Whitmer endorsed Joe Biden, and joined his campaign as a national co-chair.
In 2020, amid her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as after tweets in which Trump attacked her and dismissed her as "the woman in Michigan", Whitmer changed the wording to the more specific "that woman in Michigan" in speeches and on T-shirts, gaining a greater national profile as Trump's original wording was forgotten. Cecily Strong portrayed Whitmer on Saturday Night Live episodes in May 2020 and February 2021.
Whitmer was vetted by Biden's team as a potential running mate during the 2020 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection; Biden confirmed she was on his shortlist in March. Michigan's status as a key swing state was seen as boosting her prospects of being selected. The New York Times reported that she was one of four finalists for the position along with Kamala Harris, Susan Rice, and Elizabeth Warren; Harris was selected. According to some reports, Whitmer removed herself from consideration, urging Biden to choose a Black woman instead. Whitmer's consideration for the position further elevated her national stature.
In her speech to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Whitmer praised Biden's work in rescuing the Michigan auto industry and criticized Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitmer was seen as having strong prospects of being offered a position in Biden's cabinet. On January 9, 2021, she said she was not interested in leaving her role as governor.
Whitmer co-chaired Biden's inaugural committee, and in early January 2021, then-President-elect Biden nominated her as a vice chair candidate for the Democratic National Committee; the committee elected Whitmer and the rest of the slate of candidates on January 20 unopposed.
After her 2022 reelection, Whitmer was considered a possible presidential candidate in the event that Biden did not run for a second term in 2024. Writing for The Bulwark, A. B. Stoddard expressed support for a Whitmer presidential bid in 2024 with Senator Raphael Warnock as her running mate. In response to these speculations, Whitmer affirmed repeatedly that she would not run for president, intending to serve a full second term as governor. On April 25, 2023, Whitmer was named co-chair of Biden's reelection campaign. On June 12, she launched the Fight Like Hell PAC in an effort to boost Democrats running for federal office in 2024. In December, the PAC endorsed its first slate of candidates, causing further speculation about a presidential bid. In 2023, Whitmer declined to speak directly with Representative Dean Phillips regarding his effort to try to convince her to enter the Democratic Party presidential primary race to oppose Biden. In a speech in Washington D.C. in March 2024, Whitmer hinted at running for president in 2028, saying, "See you in 2029." After Biden withdrew his candidacy in July 2024, she announced that she would not seek the Democratic nomination, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. She also said she would not accept an offer to be Harris's running mate.
Though Whitmer had been mentioned as a potential candidate for president in 2028, she said on May 28, 2026, that she would not run.
On October 8, 2020, a federal indictment against six men associated with the Wolverine Watchmen, a Michigan-based militia group, was unsealed. The indictment charges the men with plotting to kidnap Whitmer and violently overthrow Michigan's government. The FBI became aware of the scheme in early 2020 after communications among the far-right group were discovered, and via an undercover agent who met with more than a dozen individuals at a meeting in Dublin, Ohio. Another seven men were charged with state crimes in relation to the plot. Facebook is cooperating with the investigation, since the federal criminal complaint detailed how the group used a private Facebook group to discuss the alleged plot.
In the wake of the unsealed indictment, Whitmer, in a livestream, thanked the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation. She called the plotters "sick and depraved men" and blamed Trump for refusing to explicitly condemn far-right groups and for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In April 2022, two men (Harris and Caserta) were acquitted on all charges on grounds of entrapment by federal authorities. In August 2022, two others (Fox and Barry Croft Jr.) were convicted of conspiracy to kidnap. In October 2022, three others (Morrison, Musico, and Bellar) were convicted of providing material support for a terrorist act. Additionally, Garbin and Franks pleaded guilty.
Whitmer engaged with President Donald Trump during his second administration to protect and promote Michigan's economic, industrial, and military priorities. She met with Trump multiple times to discuss tariffs, federal policies affecting the auto industry, storm relief funding, and other state concerns.
In April 2025, she attended an Oval Office event where Trump unexpectedly brought her in during a signing ceremony, drawing national attention for photographs showing her shielding her face with folders. Later that month, she greeted Trump at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, where he announced a new F‑15EX fighter jet mission for Michigan, a major win for the state's economy and military personnel. Whitmer defended her bipartisan engagement, emphasizing that she worked "to put service above self" by advancing Michigan's interests while maintaining her policy principles.
