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Gretchen Whitmer

Governor of Michigan — currently serving. Party, term history, and sourced provenance. Sections fill in as records land.

Gretchen Whitmer

Democratic Michigan 2019–present In office

Born August 23, 1971

Terms

  1. Governor of Michigan Democratic Current

    January 1, 2019 → present

Background

  • background Born August 23, 1971 in Lansing, Michigan; lawyer and politician; Michigan State University (BA 1993, JD 1998); Democrat.
  • role Michigan House of Representatives (2001–2006); Michigan Senate (2006–2015); first female Democratic leader (2011–2015).
  • achievement 2013 floor speech during abortion debate in which she disclosed personal experience of sexual assault; gained national attention.
  • achievement Elected governor 2018 (defeated Schuette); reelected 2022 (defeated Dixon); focused on healthcare and infrastructure.
  • role Vice chair of Democratic National Committee from January 2021 to February 2025.

Governors lead the executive branch of their state. Browse other officials in People, or read how state and federal offices fit together in the civics primer. Coverage is honest — current governors plus recent history.