What Democrats Can Learn From Gretchen Whitmer
About this episode
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer explains the playbook behind her political success: run on concrete, deliverable promises. She traces 'Fix the damn roads' to a conversation with a mother at a Detroit children's hospital, describes muscling infrastructure funding through a Republican legislature via bonding, and explains why her 2022 campaign centered on abortion after Dobbs — including preemptively suing to protect abortion rights in Michigan after Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death. Whitmer argues Democrats must tell personal stories about abortion, framing it as individual liberty and economic freedom, find common ground even with pro-life voters, and never promise what they can't deliver. She also weighs in on the veepstakes, Michigan's deep bench of women leaders, and the party's struggle with young men, urging Democrats to 'seek to understand' voters who feel unheard.