Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Official photo)
It's no secret Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has interest in running for president in 2028 after her term as governor ends in 2026.
With that being said, Detroit Free Press contributing columnist Andrea Bitely, founder and principal of Bitely Communications, a Lansing-based public affairs firm specializing in political, corporate and crisis communications, writes:
Sometimes I wonder if “fix the damn roads” haunts Gretchen Whitmer’s dreams.
When Whitmer launched her 2018 campaign, she made Michigan voters a whole heap of promises. Obviously, we all remember her pledge to fix the roads ― but there were also promises to increase government transparency, repeal the emergency manager law that had a negative impact on Flint, and charge royalties that could pay for infrastructure to companies like Nestle that wanted to pull our groundwater and sell it for a profit. These big promises would yield big wins for Whitmer if accomplished ― generally speaking, big risks lead to big rewards in politics.
Except in the governor’s case, exactly none of this has happened. But "fix the damn roads" was the governor’s 2018 marquee campaign slogan, and it still pops up constantly — and not always in a flattering way.
Whitmer has tried multiple times since 2019 to find ways to fund the roads project. In her latest attempt, she is proposing to raise $3 billion, with $1.2 billion coming from gas taxes at the pump, $500 million from unspecified cuts and and $1.6 billion in additional tax revenue from large corporations and technology companies.
Time is running out for her fulfill that pledge. And if it's not accomplished, how will that impact any bid for president?
