Gretchen Esther Whitmer is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. Born and raised in Michigan, she completed her education at Michigan State University, earning a bachelor's degree in communication in 1993 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1998. Her political career began shortly thereafter when she was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2000, serving there until 2006.\n\nIn 2006, Whitmer transitioned to the Michigan Senate, winning a special election and serving until 2015. During her tenure, she made history as the senate's first female Democratic leader, serving in that role from 2011 to 2015. She gained national prominence in 2013 during a legislative debate on abortion, where she shared her personal experience of sexual assault. Following her time in the senate, she briefly served as the prosecutor for Ingham County in 2016.\n\nWhitmer was elected governor of Michigan in 2018, defeating Republican nominee Bill Schuette, and was reelected in 2022. Her gubernatorial tenure has focused heavily on healthcare and infrastructure legislation. Beyond state politics, she delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union Address in 2020 and served as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2021 to 2025.
