Gretchen Whitmer in Past and present Governor candidates from Michigan
On Abortion:
Support Planned Parenthood
Restore funding to Planned Parenthood so that women and men have access to preventative
care like screenings and checkups, contraception, and maternity care.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Abortion:
Will stop anti-choice legislation
Whitmer said she would work to stop anti-choice legislation and "continue to protect the investments that we make in our local public health offices-education for young people, access to birth control."
Whitmer hopes Democrats take back the Michigan House but said, "if necessary, I have got the backbone of titanium to hold the line on further attacks eroding women's health care."
Source: Rewire News on 2018 Michigan Governor race
Nov 1, 2017
On Civil Rights:
Guarantee equal pay for equal work
When women thrive, we all thrive. Women in Michigan earn 74 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make for the same work.
As Governor, I will demand equal pay for equal work to support women and their families in an economy that increasingly requires two paychecks to pay the bills and where a growing number of women are the sole income earners.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Civil Rights:
Expand civil rights laws
Year after year, in the Senate and as a private citizen, I pushed to expand our civil rights laws to include people of all genders, identities, and sexual orientations.
We drew the line when lawmakers tried to exclude transgender people from our civil rights laws. And I fought for same-sex adoptions and domestic partner benefits.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Corporations:
Government can help small business thrive
To grow our economy, we must invest in small business incubators so that entrepreneurs have access to workspace, mentors,
and capital, and we must build stronger partnerships between businesses and community colleges.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Drugs:
Addicts need treatment, not punishment
Expand treatment and recovery services that help our family members and neighbors who are suffering from addiction. Invest in treatment courts to ensure access to the resources we need to treat addiction, including diversion and alternative sentencing.
Hold physicians and drug companies accountable because Michigan has more annual opioid prescriptions than people, and we cannot allow pharmaceutical companies to continue perpetuating the crisis with immunity.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Education:
Invest in education; hold charters accountable
I am committed to expanding early childhood education to all Michigan kids. To improve outcomes for all students means boosting instructional hours, respecting and supporting our teachers and staff, and investing in
our classrooms and wraparound services. Charter schools and the businesses that run them must be held accountable. It's time we put much-needed oversight in place to hold charter schools accountable.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Environment:
Environmental policy based on science
Rely on science, facts and truly independent studies to guide how we address the challenges of balancing our environmental impact, jobs, and the sanctity of our waterways. Hiring impartial experts to
oversee and regulate our emissions standards will ensure that scientists, and not corporate interests, are making the decisions that impact our water and air.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Government Reform:
Promote universal voter access
It is too hard to register and to vote in Michigan. Everyone who applies for a driver's license or state ID should be automatically registered to vote, and any registered voters should be able to vote absentee or by mail.
As a legislator, I fought to ensure valid ballots from our service members overseas were counted, to prevent voters from being turned away at the polls, and to allow same-day voter registration.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Health Care:
Support Medicaid expansion
I led negotiations to expand access to healthcare to more than 630,000 Michiganders through the state's Medicaid expansion.
We must keep fighting to address the cost of health care and lower the cost of prescription drugs until everyone has access to an affordable health plan and can afford their treatment.
Source: 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial website GretchenWhitmer.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Corporations:
Shift tax burden to corporations
On taxation: "Let's be clear, everyone knows that in Michigan right now, we are making the poorest folks pay and we have to stand up to corporations that are demanding these huge tax loopholes and make sure
they're paying their fair share and then make sure we're investing that into things like schools and infrastructure," El-Sayed said.
Source: Mining Journal on 2018 Michigan Governor race
Oct 10, 2017
On Budget & Economy:
Most important metric is rising family income
Whitmer says we need to continue on the path toward job creation as well as investments in critical infrastructure and public education. She acknowledges the unemployment rate has fallen--from 14.9% in 2009 to 4.9% in November--but contends
it is not the true measure of success in the state. "I think the most important metric is our family incomes, are they rising," said
Whitmer. "Have they been raised because of the policies that have been put forth in Lansing, and the answer is no.
At the end of the day the most important metric is; does a family in Kalamazoo believe that their paycheck is able to cover the bills that they have."
Source: WWMT-Newschannel-3 on 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial race
Jan 24, 2017
On Crime:
Cleaned up County Prosecutor office after a sex scandal
Whitmer served for twelve years in the State House and Senate. Whitmer, who most recently served for six months as Ingham County Prosecutor after the former prosecutor was arrested in a sex scandal, says she cleaned up that office and has big picture
plans for Michigan.Whitmer says she holds state government mostly accountable for a lack of oversight in the Flint water crisis and says that kind of thing would not have happened on her watch.
Source: WWMT-Newschannel-3 on 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial race
Jan 24, 2017
On Abortion:
No insurance riders to get an abortion covered
Whitmer served in the House from 2001-2006, and in the Senate from 2006-2014, where she became a frequent voice of opposition to Republican policies.When she told her personal story of being raped more than 20 years ago during a 2013 speech on the
Senate floor to illustrate her opposition to a bill that would require people to buy an additional rider to their insurance to get an abortion covered, Whitmer got national attention and a stronger voice on issues surrounding women's health concerns.
Source: Lansing State Journal on 2018 Michigan Gubernatorial race
Jan 3, 2017
Page last updated: Aug 12, 2018