In the weeks leading up to the election, I have been speaking with history-making women leaders in politics, including Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Lee, to get their thoughts on this moment where we stand poised to potentially break through the historic glass ceiling of the presidency. I recently had the opportunity to interview yet another trailblazer for women in politics: Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
When Whitmer began serving as Governor of Michigan in 2019, she was one of only 9 female governors in the U.S. Today, that number has risen to 12, the most women governors to ever serve simultaneously. And with more women running for governorships this November, that number is likely to increase.
I asked Whitmer if she thought things have gotten better or worse in regard to the role of gender in politics. She answered, “I’d have to say both. On the one hand, it’s easier to be a woman in politics. People are getting used to the idea that women make good elected officials. On the other hand,” she adds, “in the past couple of years, we’ve seen an unprecedented series of attacks on women’s rights, basic rights that I have had my entire life, rights that Donald Trump took away from us and our daughters and granddaughters. That scares me.”
Whitmer, who is currently serving her second term as governor, has confronted and led through a variety of challenges since she took office in 2019, including the Covid-19 pandemic, historic flooding in her state, and being the target of a kidnapping and assassination plot. After all she’s been subjected to as a high-profile leader, I asked her if she has any regrets about getting involved in politics and how she personally deals with the scrutiny and attacks that come with being a woman in politics.
“Keep it moving,” she replied. “That’s the only way. When you take things personally or let the bullies get you down, it’s a distraction from the work, in my case, from serving Michiganders. Even with the attacks I’ve received, I’ve never had regrets about getting involved in politics.”
Whitmer first got into politics “a little bit by chance,” she said. “When I was much younger, I’d originally wanted to become a sports reporter. But in college, I ended up working as an intern in the Michigan House of Representatives. I loved it, and when a seat opened up later in my twenties, I happily ran.” She adds, “There were very few women in the House at the time. I knew we needed fighters, and I could fight, so I went for it. And I’m so glad I did.”
Whitmer has been an outspoken advocate for voting rights, the LGBTQ+ community and women, among other important issues. After the Dobbs decision in 2022 that took away the constitutional right to abortion, Whitmer sought to keep the procedure legal in Michigan and signed legislation in 2023 that repealed the state’s 1931 ban on abortions. When I asked her what she would want to say to young women about the upcoming election, she responded, “This is going to be the single most consequential election for women’s rights we’ve seen in our lifetime, and young women will play a big role in deciding this race. What I want you to know is you can do something about it: vote and bring your friends. You are strong, you’ve got grit, you are full of courage and heart, and together we’re going to win this. Everything is at stake.”
Whitmer is a co-chair of Kamala Harris’s campaign and has been speaking at events across the country on behalf of the Harris-Walz ticket. With the prospect of Harris becoming our first Black and South Asian woman president, I asked Whitmer if she feels there is anything unique that women bring to politics, as well as the importance of representation and diversity, and she shared, “If you don’t have women leaders in the room, then you’ve got a real problem. We bring a different perspective to the table than men, and more diverse perspectives means we can get more done for more people.”
As governor, Whitmer is known for being a bold leader who listens to her constituents’ needs with a compassionate ear and takes action. I asked her what qualities she thinks we most need in politicians and leaders today, and she had this to say: “You know, I talk a lot about grit, perseverance, rolling with the punches, but I think the number one thing has to be the ability to just ask people what they need and listen.” She continued, “I remember, when I was campaigning to be governor, I visited the Detroit Children’s Hospital and spoke to a young man named Cory who’d just had a difficult surgery. I asked his mom—what did she need? And instead of saying anything I could’ve expected, she said, ‘I just need you to fix the damn roads.’ The roads were so bad on the way to the hospital that her car had broken down. The auto shop bills on top of the hospital bills were just too much. So that became my campaign slogan. No matter how good you are, you don’t know everything. You’ve always got to ask.”
Whitmer, who has two daughters, says she also makes a point of listening to young people. “Young people have the most to gain or lose when it comes to elections. We need to keep listening to their voices. My daughters keep me engaged and informed on the issues that matter most to them, and I take them seriously.”
She candidly shares much about her life and career, as well as advice and wisdom, in her book True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between, which was published earlier this year, and she has described as “a handbook” on how to stay positive despite difficulty and includes “10 Life Lessons.”
“It was such a pleasure writing it and it’s been wonderful seeing that people are enjoying it,” Whitmer told me. “It’s a lighthearted book for a very dark, heavy time, which is what I wanted it to be.” In that spirit, she cites this as “one really big takeaway” in the book: “Check out my grandma Nino’s recipe for clover rolls in the prologue. Delicious.”
Beyond great recipes, Whitmer’s grandmother also taught her to look for the good in all people and in any situation, which helped shape her outlook on life and leadership. As she writes in the book, “I have lived through some strange and difficult events… It’s hard to find the good in these situations, but following Nino’s example, that’s what I’ve tried to do. And I want to share what I’ve learned.”