Election Day is officially one week away and one of the most closely watched races is the race for governor.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has big plans for a potential second term, including some things she didn't get done in her first.
A lot of the governor’s plans were vastly disrupted when, halfway through her first term, COVID-19 hit Michigan.
It slowed progress and her response to the pandemic is something Republicans have used as ammo in her reelection bid.
“We’ve gotten a lot of good stuff done. It is now time to put our foot on the accelerator,” said Whitmer.
It would make sense that the governor, who met us at an event on the campaign trail, would use a car metaphor to sum up why she needs a second term.
After running on a promise to “fix the damn roads” in 2018 and winning, this time she has a record to defend. A first-term interrupted by COVID-19 and plans she says were stifled by a GOP-Legislature.
“My hope is in a second term, I’ll have a Legislature that better reflects the will of the people of Michigan that can work with me,” said Whitmer.
To win a second term, Governor Whitmer will have to convince voters that she can get the state back on track after job and learning loss tied to COVID and fight the 40-year high inflation that Michiganders are dealing with at the pumps and the stores.
“Over the last three-and-a-half years, we have paid down $14 billion of state debt. We’ve amassed a record rainy day fund. We’ve gotten our credit rating upgraded a couple of times. So, we’ve been really fiscally responsible,” Whitmer told FOX 17.
Whitmer has admitted there were things she wishes she’d done differently in her COVID response like making Michigan a leading mask producer. She’s defended her closing of schools and businesses and isn’t listening to critics who say she went too far with emergency powers granted to the governor before they were stripped by the state Supreme Court at the end of 2020.
“I don’t take anything personally. My job to deliver for the people of Michigan is a lot more important than my ego or my needs and that’s what I’ve always put at the center of the work.”
Governor Whitmer supports a woman’s right to choose and Proposal 3 but said if it fails or lawsuits don’t work out in her favor, she’ll accept that as the will of the Michigan people.
She added, “Ultimately, we have an opportunity to vote on this ballot initiative but a governor is still going to play a big part in what those rights looks like.”
As people prepare to head to the polls in just a few days, Whitmer also worries what might happen if GOP candidates for secretary of state and attorney general win or lose for that matter.
“You can’t just love democracy when your party wins. The people are more important than any one person or any political party.”
Another first-term campaign promise Whitmer wants to follow through with is shutting down the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline.
She called it a “ticking time bomb” for an environmental disaster in the Straits of Mackinac.
WATCH our full interview with Whitmer:
