Michigan voters pick Democrat Whitmer for governor, support legal pot initiative
Democrat Gretchen Whitmer was elected Michigan’s next governor on Tuesday, retaking the office for her party after eight years of Republican control of a state that Donald Trump won by the slimmest of margins. Whitmer, a former legislative leader who led a female-dominated statewide ticket, defeated GOP state attorney general Bill Schuette and was watching to see if her victory could help propel Democrats to partial or full control of the Republican-led Legislature — a crucial step to being able to enact a governing agenda. Her running mate, Garlin Gilchrist II, will be Michigan’s first black lieutenantgovernor.
While campaigning, Whitmer cast herself as a bipartisan problem-solver who joined with term-limited Gov. Rick Snyder to expand Medicaid to more than 600,000 adults. She pushed to “fix the damn roads,” lagging schools and drinking water infrastructure, which was exposed by Flint’s leadtainted water.
Her win further cemented a trend in Michigan gubernatorial races. The last time the state consecutively elected governors from the same party was the 1960s, and the party opposite the president has now won 10 of the last 11 elections.
The 47-year-old Whitmer, of East Lansing, was a state lawmaker for 14 years — always in the minority — and later served as Ingham County’s interim prosecutor. As the top Democrat in the Senate, she spoke forcefully against GOP-backed laws that slashed business taxes while raising them on individuals, made union fees optional, and required residents or businesses wanting health insurance coverage for elective abortions to buy extra coverage. She disclosed during a debate on the abortion bill that she had been raped in college. “I thought that was so brave. I think she’s got the moxie and the courage to stand up for her beliefs,” said Kristin Schrader, a 51-yearold marketing and communications officer for a Girl Scouts organization who voted for Whitmer. The resident of Superior Township near Ann Arbor called Whitmer pragmatic and credited her for working across the aisle and staying positive despite being in the minority party for so long. Others who voted for Whitmer cited her pledge to press for a multibilliondollar plan to improve deteriorating roads.
Schuette — a former congressman, state senator, state Cabinet official and state appellate judge from Midland — called for an income-tax cut and lower auto insurance rates. He urged voters to stick with a Republican to succeed the more moderate Snyder, who has been at the helm during a sustained economic recovery. Schuette warned against going “backward” and likened Whitmer to Democratic former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who was at the helm during Michigan’s economic downturn and pushed through a mix of tax hikes and spending cuts to resolve major budget deficits. People who voted for Schuette said they favoured his opposition to tax increases, his pro-business record and his work as attorney general, specifically how he investigated Flint’s water crisis and the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal at Michigan State University. Meanwhile, voters in Michigan were poised to legalize recreational marijuana Tuesday night, making them the first states in the Midwest to do so and would put conservative neighbouring states on notice. Proposal 1 on the ballot calls for recreational use and possession of marijuana to be legal for anyone 21 years old or older, with a tax to be imposed on marijuana sales. At press time, the ballot measure was supported by 56.5 per cent of the voters, with more than 25 per cent of the polls reporting. In North Dakota, more than 63 per cent of voters supported decriminalization of marijuana, with 45 per cent of the polls reporting. More than half the states have already legalized medical marijuana. Nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational pot for people age 21 or older.
And Canada, which shares a border with Michigan and North Dakota, recently made it legal for adults to use the drug. But passage of the measures in either state, which both have Republican governors and Republican-controlled legislatures, would give it a foothold in Middle America and could cause tension along their state borders.
The Michigan measure would create a state licensing system for
I thought that was so brave. I think she’s got the moxie and the courage to stand up for her beliefs
marijuana business and allow cities and townships to restrict them. Supporters say it would align with the state’s new regulatory system for medical marijuana businesses and raise roughly $130 million in additional tax revenue each year that would go toward road repairs, schools and local governments. They also say it would allow for greater regulation of pot usage and for the police to focus on more pressing problems.