After eight years under Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the people of Michigan will choose again who will be the best person for their state. Rep. John James (R-MI) thinks he has the stuff that good leaders are made of – which is what the already crowded field believes, too. James joins three Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent.
Whitmer's rocky road on the political racetrack included all sorts of drama from kidnapping plots, COVID backlash for the most stringent lockdown practices, and verbal battles with President Donald Trump, which prompted the GUV to sport a red T-shirt on late-night talk shows that read: "That woman from Michigan." And no Catholic can forget mocking communion by feeding Doritos to a girl on her knees. Cringy as it was, it appears that Trump and Whitmer have since made up to some degree of civility.
All those snarky moments have seemingly been washed down the drain as Whitmer accepted an invitation to the White House to talk shop – mainly keeping Selfridge Air Force Base, outside Detroit, open and funded.
Hurricane Whitmer Makes Landfall
Politics make strange bedfellows, and Whitmer defied logic and stood next to the Resolute Desk just days ago during the signing of executive orders demanding that two aides in Trump's first term be investigated. The Democratic Party was not thrilled with the optics.
Number 47, however, enjoyed the moment publicly praising the Gretch as a "very good person" who had done "an excellent job" in Michigan.
During that same visit, Gov. Whitmer went against the tides, saying, "I understand the motivation behind the tariffs, and I can tell you here's where President Trump and I do agree," she said.
"We do need to make more stuff in America."
One CNN host, Audie Cornish, paled, saying, "This does not look like the politics of resistance."
But Who's Going to Make Michigan Great Again?
Love Whitmer or loathe the gal, the feisty one will be a hard act to follow in the politically savvy department. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson drove her department into the 21st century by making accessibility a top priority. In her tenure since 2018, Benson doubled the number of online services and launched mobile offices to bring services to residents, among other technical add-ons.
Other contenders in the Democratic Party field include lesser known to Michiganders, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. Swanson is a tough guy whose most notable accomplishment is the creation of GHOST – Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team – promising to arrest criminals involved in human trafficking and sexual assault. He also flipped and created yet another catchy acronym, IGNITE, which stands for Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education. The program helps inmates find full-time employment once released. Swanson also marched and protested in Flint after the George Floyd murder.
Also, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist tossed his beanie into the ring. He has been attached to the Whitmer power base since both were elected in 2018. That's about all anyone knows about the guy, except he will probably run on Whitmer's accomplishments.
And then there's this heavyweight challenger: Detroit Mayor David Duggan, a longtime Democrat, will run as an Independent, saying, "The political fighting and the nonsense that once held Detroit back is too often what we're seeing in Michigan today," the mayor told Michigan Live. "The current system forces people to choose sides, not find solutions. I want to see if I can change that."
Could It Be That a Republican Can Clear the Field?
The GOP has a decent grouping of candidates in the quiver as well. Banking on the 2024 Trump sweep of swing states, three gentlemen have made declarations to take the executive branch to the red zone. "The people of Michigan have been left behind under Democrat rule as they've raised taxes, wasted a $9 billion surplus, chose politically motivated corporate handouts over fixing our roads, and tried to impose their left-wing ideology on all of us," said State Senate minority leader Aric Nesbitt.
In a statement on social media, Rep. John James released his intent to do MAGA work for the Great Lakes State: "It's time to get Michigan's government out of fantasyland and back to common sense," James said. "President Trump and I have been in each other's corner through thick and thin for eight years – no reason that will end now. He's doing his part to Make America Great Again, and I'll do mine to bring prosperity and sanity back to Michigan." James is an Army veteran serving his second term in the US House.
Just one of the regular Joes is Anthony Hudson, a truck driver from Genesee County who became a Michigander 13 years ago. As his campaign website states, Hudson will campaign to eliminate property taxes, state income taxes, renewable energy mandates, and annual auto registration. Hudson wants to focus on protecting parental rights, bringing back natural gas, and making PTO and sick time tax-exempt.
Michigan voters will have a lot of learning to do before the 2026 election, but the field is still flexible for more candidates.
But where will Gretchen wind up? Even Ray Charles can see she is White House hunting.
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