My favorite questions to ask on the road are “What do you need right now? How can we help?” Then I do something more leaders should do: I stop talking, and listen.

At a church outside Atlanta, I met a dad worried about his kids’ future when they graduate. Between a stagnant job market and housing costs through the roof due to tariffs, he’s worried he’ll have to keep digging into his retirement savings to support them.

At a coffee shop in Cincinnati, I sat down with local moms drowning in child care and health care debt. One shared that both of her young kids use wheelchairs because of a rare genetic disorder. She left her job to become their full-time caretaker during the day. Her husband works 12-hour shifts as a general manager, then jumps right into “medical staff mode” when he gets home at night.

Between the cost of health care, changes to Medicaid, and the rising cost of groceries and rent, she told us they’re “barely scraping by.”

I heard the same concerns everywhere I went. Life is too expensive. Gas and groceries are out of control. Medicaid cuts are making health care too costly and complicated.

And instead of doing anything about rising costs, Republicans in D.C. are doubling down. A war in Iran driving up the price of gas. Tariffs that are jacking up the price of groceries, clothes, cars, and furniture. Ballrooms, private planes, and crypto deals that enrich those in power and do nothing for the American people.

Everyone I talked to works hard and plays by the rules. They aren’t asking for too much, just the basics. A safe, affordable place to live. The ability to see a doctor without going broke. A trip to the grocery store without putting items back on the shelves, and a stop at the gas station where they can fill up a whole tank.

So here’s what I told them: who your governor is matters more than ever right now.

I won’t pretend a governor can fix all the problems coming out of Washington, D.C. We can’t. But there is so much we can do to put more money in people’s pockets and help keep their heads above water.

Just like in Michigan, Democratic governors are protecting Medicaid services, saving families money with free breakfast and lunch, lowering the cost of child care, building affordable housing, cutting retirement taxes for seniors, and more.

And there are incredible candidates across the country who understand exactly what families are going through—because they’ve lived it.

This weekend, I campaigned alongside Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia. After her father went to prison, her mother took care of her family on her own, eventually fulfilling her dream of opening a hair salon that helped put Keisha through college. As mayor of Atlanta, Keisha created thousands of new, affordable homes and brought thousands of jobs back to the city. As governor, she’ll fight just as hard to expand housing, health care, and opportunity.

In Ohio, I spent time with Dr. Amy Acton, who has worked across the aisle to fight the opioid crisis in her state. Growing up in Youngstown, she went through periods of hunger and homelessness before working her way up to become a leader in children’s and family health. She’ll work with anyone to help Ohioans get the basics, because she knows what it feels like to go without them.

I also spent time with David Crowley in Wisconsin. He grew up in northern Milwaukee and watched his parents struggle to fight addiction, keep up with their rent, and put food on the table. As county executive, he passed the largest property tax cut in Milwaukee history. As governor, he’ll ensure housing and health care aren’t just luxuries for people already getting by.

These are the kinds of experienced leaders we need everywhere—and the ones who can win in the hardest places. Because while the stories I heard on the road came from a place of real pain and frustration, I also saw something else: enthusiasm. Voters in Ohio, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Kentucky are excited about candidates who have lived lives like theirs and have solutions for their problems.

That’s why this year is our best shot to flip governors’ seats across the country. Whether you vote red, blue, or somewhere in between, we can all agree that life is too expensive, and we need leaders ready to do something about it.

I’m going to keep hitting the road and working my tail off between now and Election Day, and I hope you’ll join me.

Support our work at www.fightlikehellpac.org.

But a lot of the national chatter has been about chasing clicks, stoking division, spreading rumors.

They’re not talking about what these elections are actually about. They’re not talking about and the one thing that unites Michigan Democrats as we look towards November: Michigan.

We’re all united by a simple idea: we want to make life better for the people of this state. We want Michiganders to have money in their pockets, health care they can afford, gas in their tank that doesn’t break the bank, a great public school for their kids, and opportunities for the future.

The biggest threat to that work is a Republican agenda that continues to jack up the cost of health care, food, housing, gas, and more. All of us are united in defeating MAGA Republicans in November who will make life harder and more expensive for every Michigander.

The Great Lakes bring life, purpose, and pride to our state. That’s why, from day one as governor, I’ve fought as hard as I could to protect them.

In 2020, on behalf of “the Great Lakes State,” I sued Enbridge, a large Canadian energy company with a history of oil spills, to stop them from running oil through the Straits of Mackinac. They countersued, and we’ve been fighting them in court ever since.

Today, our federal government took Enbridge’s side in court. They argue that Michigan has no say in whether an oil company runs an aging pipeline through our Great Lakes.

Here’s what I know: no one knows the Great Lakes better, or will fight for them harder, than Michiganders. And no one wants the oil out of the water more than I do. That’s why I’ll continue to take on this administration, a giant foreign oil company, and even the Canadian government to protect our lakes.

If Enbridge silences Michigan from having a say over where we locate pipelines—if this oil company forces us to keep running a pipeline through our precious Great Lakes—then we, and the Great Lakes that define us, will suffer.

The Great Lakes provide drinking water to more than 40 million people in our region. They generate more than 1.5 million jobs and $60 billion in wages annually. Recreation, including fishing and boating, adds another $50 billion each year. Our clear water, towering sand dunes, and sandy shores attract millions of families from around the world all year round.

Michiganders understand that protecting the Great Lakes isn’t a partisan position. It’s a shared responsibility. When we keep our lakes healthy, we keep our economy, our environment, and our people healthy too. But putting oil first puts our economy, our environment, and our people last.

The dual pipelines are 73 years old, already 25 years past their intended lifespan. They sit exposed on top of the lakebed, where a dragging anchor could rupture them at any moment. Faced with the choice today, we would never run a pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac.

In 2010, a different Enbridge pipeline burst and spilled more than 1 million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River, impacting almost 40 miles of riverbed and forcing more than 100 families to vacate permanently. A leak in the Mackinac Straits is estimated to impact more than 150 miles of shoreline. It would quickly become the biggest inland oil spill in United States history—breaking a record already held by Enbridge.

Since day one, my goal has been to get the oil out of the lakes. That goal has not—and will not—change. Right now, we’re fighting Enbridge in the federal court of appeals to ensure Michiganders have a say. Enbridge, on the other side, is arguing that Michiganders—having once said yes 73 years ago to running an oil pipeline through our Great Lakes—are forever bound to that decision. I’ll never accept that.

This is a tough fight. We’re up against our own federal government, the Canadian federal government, and a major oil company with powerful allies.

But they’re also up against us. We’re a state of millions of people who know the Great Lakes aren’t just Michigan’s source of prosperity but our source of pride. They’re how we locate ourselves on the map. They’re where we grew up, where we bring our families, where we share memories. We are not going to let anyone take that from us.

With all the economic uncertainty coming from Republicans in D.C., Dr. Acton is ready to stand up for Ohioans by lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, reducing the price of health care, and so much more.

Listen to our full conversation above.

As a mom, I’m thinking about my daughters who are growing up with fewer rights than I did. As a governor, I’m constantly working to ensure all Michiganders can make their own decisions about their own bodies.

Today, I want to share a story about never giving up. This is a hard topic, but one I hope will encourage others to find their voice and never stop fighting for what we know is right.

…

Back in 2013, I was Michigan’s Senate minority leader at a time when Republicans controlled every chamber of government. That year, Republicans were pushing a bill requiring women to purchase extra health insurance for abortion coverage, even in cases of rape or incest. This was not only cruel; it was absurd. Passing this law was essentially requiring women to “plan ahead” and buy rape insurance. What’s more, the bill would also affect women who had miscarriages and needed dilation and curettage (D&C) to remove fetal tissue.

To make matters worse, the Republicans supporting the bill refused to hold any public hearings, knowing there was strong dissent and polls showing that voters opposed the bill. There would be only one chance for legislators to speak against it, so my staff and I got to work. What we wrote was powerful and persuasive, but I knew a personal story was a more powerful way to show my Republican colleagues how unfair this legislation was.

I also knew that a Democratic colleague of mine and his wife had recently suffered a miscarriage, and this law would mean that some of her medical treatment would no longer be covered. So I quietly asked him if he would consider sharing their story. Understandably, he told me that this loss was still too raw and too recent.

That’s when it hit me. How could I ask someone else to bare his soul if I also have a story? With so little time before my speech, I was still unsure if I could share something so personal, so I decided to begin my remarks as prepared.

Apparently, the holiday season of goodwill toward men reads more like your will toward women, as the Republican male majority continues to ignorantly and unnecessarily weigh in on important women’s issues that they know nothing about.

Throughout the speech, my mind was racing. In front of a packed chamber and rolling TV cameras, I decided to share the story of what happened my freshman year in college. It was the first time I spoke of it beyond a couple of partners.

I’m about to tell you something that I have not shared with many people in my life. But over twenty years ago, I was a victim of rape. And thank God it didn’t result in a pregnancy, because I can’t imagine going through what I went through and then having to consider what to do about an unwanted pregnancy from an attacker. And as a mother with two girls, the thought that they would ever go through something like I did keeps me up at night…

I am not the only woman in our state that has faced that horrible circumstance. I am not enjoying talking about it. It’s something I’ve hidden for a long time. But I think you need to see the face of the women that you are impacting by this vote today.

The chamber was silent. It suddenly dawned on me that I had to call my dad so he could hear it from me instead of in the news.

The votes were cast. My story didn’t change a single vote. Every Republican, and one Democrat, voted in favor of the bill. I was devastated.

The next day, I was as depressed as I’ve ever been. But a staffer called me during my drive to work and shared that our office had been inundated with calls and voicemails from people all over the country offering encouragement and gratitude. It was comforting that my story had made survivors feel less alone and brought national attention to an important issue. Most of all, I was determined to continue the fight until we got the law off the books.

Lacking an obvious way forward, I did the only thing I knew how to do. I got to work.

Though I was stuck in a gerrymandered minority my entire time in the state legislature, we finally passed a ballot initiative for fair districts. After winning the governor’s race in 2018, we used that momentum to pick up more state House and Senate seats. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, we knew we could bring people together around this issue, so we put a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights on the ballot.

Then something incredible happened. We enshrined abortion rights by over 13 points, won the governor’s seat by over 10, and ushered in the first Democratic trifecta in over 40 years—an entire generation.

On December 11, 2023, the ten-year anniversary of the day I revealed on the floor of the Senate that I was raped, I signed the Reproductive Health Act, a new package of laws to protect women in Michigan—which included repealing the rape insurance law.

“The moral of this story is, don’t stop fighting for what you know is right,” I said to the crowd. “There’s a warning in the story too, to anyone who wants to roll back our rights: Don’t mess with American women. We’re tough and we fight back and we will win. You come for our rights and we will work harder to protect them.”

Those words are as true right now as they have ever been, and they don’t just apply to women but to anyone who has something worth fighting for.

There are times when it can be hard to see the light. I felt that way on a dark December day when it felt like I couldn’t make a difference. But know that the light is coming, so long as we stick together and keep working to find it.

That said, I’m not telling you to just accept that change takes time. Don’t accept that. Be impatient. Fight like thousands of people are counting on you—because they probably are. But don’t be discouraged when progress doesn’t happen overnight. Be frustrated, but make that your fuel.

This year’s midterms feel a lot like 2022, except we don’t control a single branch of government in D.C. right now. In other words, the stakes are even higher. So if you’re angry and scared about what you’re seeing, I encourage you to get to work. Find a local or statewide race that could determine the future of reproductive rights, health care, or whatever you’re most passionate about. Don’t just wait for the right thing to happen. Go make it happen. If we all do our part, we can win this November.

Finally, to all the women and girls out there fighting right now: I see you, I stand with you, and I will always have your back. And above all, never give up.

I always knew I wanted to be a Spartan. I was born just a few miles away and spent the first ten years of my life in East Lansing. My dad took me to watch Magic Johnson play at Jenison Field House when I was a kid, and coming back for college always felt like coming home.

But the truth is, I wasn’t sure I would be MSU material, since I wasn’t very confident in my academic abilities growing up. Eventually, I got my act together and won “Most Improved Student” in my junior year of high school, and while MSU was a bit of a reach, it was the only place I wanted to be…and the only place I applied. Thankfully, my dream came true.

And that simple, timeless lesson continued to help me once I arrived on campus: if you try, you will always get better.

Many of us, especially Michiganders and Midwesterners, are humble. That’s a good thing. But too often, we underestimate what we’re capable of. At MSU, I had professors who believed in me and encouraged me to embrace my potential. I still remember feedback from papers I wrote and the countless individuals who took the time to help me get better.

And it was at MSU when I had the opportunity to do an internship down the road at the state capital that changed the course of my life and put me on the path to public service.

At MSU, I learned that we’re all capable of much more than we realize. I learned how fun it was to work at and get better at something that I thought I couldn’t do. I told the graduates on Friday that they will “never be permanently bad at anything. Always remember what ‘Spartans Will’ really means. It’s an incomplete phrase. Your job is to finish it by doing the work.”

I’m grateful to all the students, parents, and families who let me be a part of their special day, and even if you’re not a Spartan (even though I feel sorry for you!) I hope you enjoy the speech.

Go Green!

Let me explain.

Last week, I sat down with a farmer named Ben at a roundtable in Saginaw. Ben has worked on his family farm since he was seventeen years old, carrying on a 125-year tradition. Ben plays by the rules, gives back to his community, and even teaches at the local university to earn extra money. He doesn’t expect much from the government, just that it doesn’t make his job harder.

But right now, the federal government is making Ben’s job a lot harder.

Ben is already paying 10-30% more for fertilizer since the war in Iran began, and he’s been told to expect delayed or even canceled shipments for the rest of the spring. That’s because half of the world’s urea passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and with planting season already underway, it’s too late for the U.S. to make up the estimated 2 million ton shortfall. This means crops that depend heavily on nitrogen—corn, wheat, sugar beets—will be harder and more expensive to grow, and eventually harder to find in our grocery stores.

Farmers aren’t the only ones being squeezed right now, either. Gas is up over $1 per gallon since the end of February. That’s an extra $80 a month, or up to $1,000 a year for most families—money that would otherwise be going to rent, insurance, or child care. That’s on top of the rising cost of groceries, heating, and mortgages since the conflict began.

What’s worse, all of this comes on the heels of the largest cuts to health care and food assistance in American history, paired with a chaotic tariff strategy that has been costing consumers and businesses money for a year now.

For people already stretched thin, it seems like things keep piling on.

It shouldn’t be this hard to take care of yourself or your family. Hardworking people shouldn’t be putting food back on the shelves or filling up half a tank because they’re worried they can’t pay the bill. Not in this country.

Ben said something else that stuck with me, too. He said that too many politicians assume farmers vote a certain way, so they don’t bother showing up. “That’s just not true,” he said. “If you look out for us, we notice it. It’s that simple.”

After seven years traveling this state—meeting Michiganders at their schools, businesses, places of worship—I’ve seen this firsthand. We can reach anyone when we stay focused on the fundamentals that actually help people get ahead—especially when there are people in power who are doing the opposite. The simple fact that your politicians should be making your life better is not a position that needs to be learned or debated. To steal Ben’s words, it’s that simple. At least it should be.

The good news is we have a shot at bringing that vision to life in November. I know we raise the stakes every year, but it’s true that these will be the most important midterms in our lifetime; they are certainly the most important elections worth worrying about right now.

So here’s my pitch. I know it feels like there aren’t a lot of options right now. When you’re staring at a grocery bill or the number on the gas pump, you may feel you don’t have a choice in that moment. But there’s a bigger choice in front of you. You can choose whether you want to keep paying that bill far into the future.

That’s what I hope these past six weeks—and really, the past fifteen months—have taught us. Things get worse when our leaders make things worse.

That’s why we need real checks and balances on this administration and its reckless economic policies. Gas prices, health care, food, housing and so much more are all on the line this November. The best way to stop costs from piling on is to win back a majority in Congress and elect strong Democratic executives around the country.

We are never without some kind of choice, and we can choose something better starting this fall. But it will take all of us doing our part.

Let’s get to work.

We dove into Michigan’s legendary music scene, from Motown and Techno to Madonna and Eminem.

We discussed all the good work happening across Michigan—fixing roads, putting money back in people’s pockets, and making sure young people have the skills they need to succeed.

And we talked about all the noise coming out of DC, and how the American people still expect their government to lower their costs and make their lives better. 

I hope you enjoy.

To prepare, I spent some time reviewing my past remarks. In my very first State of the State, I said, “Michigan’s problems are not partisan problems.” Potholes are not political. Drinking water is not political. “Our challenges affect us all. And they will require us all, working together, to solve.”

I believe that over the last seven years, Michigan has shown what’s possible when we focus on doing the job we’re elected to do and solve problems. While the federal government has been steeped in global trade wars, partisan gridlock, and government shutdowns, we have been forging ahead here in Michigan, cutting costs, filling potholes, keeping people fed and insured, doing whatever we can to make life easier.

It hasn’t always been painless. Not everyone has been willing to cooperate all the time. But we’ve always sought collaboration first, and as a result, we’ve delivered on the most important issues in our state.

• We’ve fixed more roads, built more homes, and replaced more lead pipes than ever before.

• Pre-K, school meals, and community college are all free.

• Taxes on retirement, tips, overtime, and Social Security are gone, saving Michiganders thousands of dollars every year.

• More people moved in to Michigan from other states than out for the first time since the early 90s.

Michiganders expect results. They expect their elected officials to work just as hard, if not harder, than they do. And I’m proud of the results we’ve delivered.

But there’s still more to do, and I am more determined than ever to keep delivering on the kitchen table issues and leave this state better than I found it. And as everyone reels from economic uncertainty coming from the federal government, we have to stay focused on growing Michigan’s economy and making sure our people have what they need to succeed.

Last night, I laid out my plan for the year with a focus on three priorities: literacy, affordable housing, and health care costs. I won’t drown you in all the details, but here are the highlights.

First, literacy. Low test scores are a nationwide challenge, and Michigan students are no exception. We can’t let our kids fall behind.

In late 2024, I signed “Science of Reading” legislation, creating a statewide strategy to deploy proven methods to teach reading, including phonics. Until last year, schools in Michigan were using over 400 different literacy curriculums across the state. Now we’re getting everyone on the same page. We also put more literacy coaches in schools and created more before and after-school programs.

This year, we need to build on that progress, which is why I’m proposing the largest targeted literacy investment in Michigan history. The plan has a simple name and a clear goal: Every Child Reads. There are three parts. We need to identify struggling learners sooner, train more teachers on proven strategies, and create more resources like tutoring to help students catch up.

Next, housing. There’s a multi-million-home shortage nationwide, and the majority of houses for sale are unaffordable for middle-class and working families.

We want our young people to succeed and put down roots in Michigan, so our solution so far has been pretty simple: Build, Baby, Build! We’ve invested more to build housing than any administration in state history. We set and smashed our goal of adding 75,000 homes a year ahead of schedule, and we’re on track to hit our new target of 115,000 homes.

There are commonsense tools we can use to get this done. A new state-level affordable housing tax credit is one—and right now, we’re the only state in the region without it. We can also cut nonsensical construction requirements and streamline zoning to make it easier to build the homes people need in the places where they want to live.

Finally, we need to get more Michiganders quality, affordable health care.

Last year, Republicans in Washington slashed Medicaid and SNAP by $1 trillion—ripping health care and food away from millions of our neighbors, our family, and our friends.

We can’t fill the hole those cuts will leave in our state budget, but we can make health care less annoying, more convenient, and more affordable.

We already cancelled medical debt for 210,000 people and protected billions in core Medicaid funding. That’s real progress, and we can’t stop now.

So here’s what I’m proposing: cap interest rates on medical debt, keep it off credit reports, require hospital financial assistance programs, and ban liens on homes. I’m also proposing a significant new investment to stabilize Medicaid for the more than 2.5 million Michiganders who rely on this coverage.

No matter what’s happening in D.C., we can work together right here in Lansing to help Michiganders pay less for the care they need.

So those are my priorities this year, and I look forward to working with both chambers to get them done.

I concluded last night by reminding the legislature and the viewers at home that my mission, as it has always been, is to put the people of Michigan first. That north star has guided me for over three decades—as an eager college student with my first internship, a staffer with my first full-time job, a new state representative, a state senator, and now, as governor.

I’ve been to all 83 counties many times. I’ve met Michiganders on the frontline of every problem. Even as we’ve dealt with a lot of darkness over the past seven years, it’s been overwhelmed by the light that I’ve seen. Our state is full of good, honest, decent people who care deeply about their families and want to make their communities better.

That’s why I’m optimistic about Michigan’s future. I’m inspired by the gritty, can-do attitude that defines our people, the ordinary acts of kindness we practice every day, and the Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who put politics aside to solve problems. That’s what Michigan is about. It’s why I’ve never been prouder to be a Michigander.

Delivering my final State of the State was bittersweet. But it reminded me how much we’ve gotten done and how much more we can do this year if we continue to put our people first.

Thank you for following along, and buckle up.

— Gretchen

That period of my life felt impossible. I was taking care of my newborn while also caring for my mom, who was dying of brain cancer, and to top it all off, I had just started my new job as a state representative.

Juggling all of that was hard, but I was lucky to have a lot of help that most people don’t. I had family and friends I could count on, health insurance for my baby, and a job that gave us options. Still, it took a village.

That was over 20 years ago, and raising a kid has only gotten harder and more expensive. Now, the average family can expect to spend over $20,000 on a new baby during the first year, and costs are only going up. Cribs, strollers, clothes, wipes are all getting more expensive—even baby formula can cost parents over $200 a month.

There is no anxiety worse for a parent than wondering if your kid is going to be okay, and right now, too many parents are going to bed unsure how they’re going to make it all work.

That’s why I’m really proud of what we just got done in Michigan this week. On Tuesday, we celebrated the launch of Rx Kids Detroit, a life-changing program that helps parents afford the basics: hospital bills, baby food, clothing, transportation to and from appointments, and more. Moms receive $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 a month for the first six to twelve months of a baby’s life.

This first-in-the-nation program was started in 2024 by Dr. Mona Hanna, the doctor whose research uncovered the Flint water crisis. She launched the program in Flint with just 250 moms, and thanks to funding we secured in our (balanced) state budgets, we expanded the program to over 29 communities and almost 6,000 families across Michigan in the last two years.

The results speak for themselves: more consistent checkups before and after birth, babies born at healthier weights, decreased NICU admissions. Moms are healthier, too. As parents, we know what happens when you’re forced to choose between yourself and your kids, and Rx Kids makes sure parents don’t have to make those sacrifices.

Now, we’re rolling out the biggest expansion of Rx Kids yet, and we’re able to do this for one simple reason: we put problem-solving over politics.

Last fall, Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature came together on this issue, and we made a transformational investment in our state budget to expand the program. Now, Rx Kids will help nearly 100,000 babies across Michigan, including the 8,000 that are born every year in Detroit. We also announced that starting March 2nd, Rx Kids will be open to every mom and baby in the Upper Peninsula.

I was moved during our celebration in Detroit on Monday, where we heard from moms across our state. Some had high-risk pregnancies that put them out of work. Some had no support system and were on their own. Others were working multiple jobs but still drowning in medical bills and expenses. Like every parent, they just want their kids to be healthy. Because of this program, they can be.

We all have a stake in making sure our youngest people grow up to be successful adults. We know those first years of a child’s life often have the largest impact on who they will become later on. That’s why in Michigan we’re investing smarter and earlier— from offering free pre-K and school meals to expanding and lowering the cost of child care to tackling our literacy crisis head-on. Rx Kids is our latest tool to help every child succeed and put money back in families’ pockets. And while the federal government keeps making life more expensive, I’ll continue doing everything I can to give people some real relief right now.

I wanted to share this story not only because I think Rx Kids deserves to be celebrated as an example of smart policy but because I hope people see that even amidst so much division and uncertainty, we were still able to work across the aisle and do something that makes people’s lives better.

I know there are problems to solve that seem so big we might not know where to start. There’s so much change happening around us, from new technology to global forces to man-made crises coming from our own government. It can be overwhelming to think where to even begin.

So for anyone asking, my advice is simple: begin somewhere. There’s no one person or one solution that can magically solve all of our problems. But that shouldn’t keep us from doing whatever we can to make something just a little bit better. Our work this week is going to help thousands of families look at their babies for the first time and know they are going to be okay. No matter what else is happening, that will always be work worth doing.

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Today, I talked to Kate Duffy from Motherhood for Good about the launch of RX kids in Detroit this week, our work to deliver on the kitchen-table issues in Michigan, and why electing Democratic governors has never mattered more. Watch our full conversation above.

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I thought about waiting a few weeks to write my first post, but I realized that maybe I can offer some perspective and maybe even a way forward right now.

…

I’ve been reflecting a lot since the beginning of the year. Last month marked the start of my eighth and final year as governor, but also, as my family reminded me recently, 25 years since I was first sworn in as an elected official.

(Uncle Jim, my mom Sherry, me, Grandma Gretchen, and Aunt Betsy before my swearing-in. January, 2001.)

I never felt destined for politics. My plan was to be a sports broadcaster until my dad suggested I try an internship down at the State Capitol. That internship changed everything for me after I saw how much of our lives are impacted by decisions made at the state level. So I decided to run for the state House when I was 28 years old because I knew I wanted to roll up my sleeves and solve problems. I was young, so it was just that simple for me, and honestly, it still is. I wanted to get things done that make people’s lives better.

I’ve tried to stay true to that vision my whole career. In a purple state like Michigan, getting things done has meant working with people I disagree with on a lot of issues. I often talk about our bipartisan work to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act back in 2013. This was a priority of mine that I shared with the then-Republican governor, but some of my Democratic colleagues didn’t want to hand the other team the win. I went desk to desk, lobbied my colleagues, and ultimately delivered the votes needed to pass the Healthy Michigan Plan. Over one million Michiganders have received health care coverage because we did the right thing instead of playing for a scoreboard that doesn’t actually exist.

That’s how I was raised, too. I grew up in a bipartisan household. My mom worked for the Democratic attorney general at the same time my dad worked for the Republican governor. Our dinner table could be loud and spirited, but it was always rooted in kindness and respect.

So as I reflect on my time in office, and as I sit here after another heartbreaking tragedy, I am reminded that those values instilled in me, and in so many of us, are missing from our politics. I think we can all agree that too many leaders right now, especially at the national level, live by a philosophy of “I win but only if you lose.” They care more about screwing the other side than solving problems, and as a result, politics has become a game for them and a source of constant exhaustion and pain for everyone else. That’s not right. Politics at its best should be about working together to make people’s lives better.

Here in Michigan, at our best, that’s still how we do things, and our approach has led to some pretty remarkable results. Free pre-K, community college, and school meals for all. Fewer families living in poverty. Better roads and more housing. Protecting reproductive rights, workers’ rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Cities like Flint and Detroit growing for the first time in decades. A restored sense of pride.

That’s why when Democrats lost the 2024 election, I was worried. I didn’t want anything to slow our progress here in Michigan. I thought long and hard about how to show up in this moment, and I told myself that I have to keep doing everything I can to deliver for this state and prove that we could still work together to get things done. Because amidst all the chaos, with bad policy and bad-faith actors trying to tear us apart at the seams, that might be when it’s most important to show what it means to bring people together and lead.

In my last year as governor, I will keep doing my job the best way I know how. I will show up anywhere when it makes the people of Michigan or our economy stronger. I’ll work with anyone, even if I disagree with them 99% of the time. After 25 years, I still know that’s the right approach.

But there’s another reason getting things done is the right strategy. I think a critical part of how we change the direction we’re going and win elections moving forward is by showing that we can actually deliver results. That leads me to why I’m starting this Substack. I have big plans for 2026, and I want to engage more people in the work we’re going to do.

I’m not on the ballot this year, but I will be working hard to elect a strong bench of candidates in 2026 across the country who are ready to stop the chaos and get stuff done.

Michigan is one of the toughest states to win, and I’m proud that we won statewide twice by double digits. That wasn’t dumb luck. We went to all 83 counties during both of my campaigns. We spent time in the reddest parts of the state where Democrats typically didn’t bother showing up, and we stayed focused on the kitchen-table issues without compromising our values. I talked so much about “fixing the damn roads” that people were calling me “that roads lady” long before anyone was calling me “that woman from Michigan.”

I know that our successes in Michigan can be replicated nationwide. I was just elected Vice Chair of the Democratic Governors Association, and we’re playing offense in 36 governors races this November. Governors are the front line right now, protecting our people from decisions made in D.C. and actually doing the work that’s not getting done over there.

I’m also traveling the country to recruit and train future candidates up and down the ballot. My team and I have already recruited almost 4,000 people interested in running for office. We’ve hosted candidate and staff trainings in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia, and have many more planned in 2026. Every time I host one of these trainings, I’m reminded of how many people are ready to step up and lead.

So if I can offer one final thought, it’s this. Don’t check out. Don’t let your anger become apathy. Don’t convince yourself that things can’t get better. I’ve been in more schools, hospitals, factories, and living rooms than I can count, and I have seen time and time again that we are not as divided as our politics. We will find a way forward, together.

If you’re as fired up as I am and ready to jump in, my team and I are here.

If you think you might want to run for office, take it from me, you don’t need the perfect resume. Reach out here.

If you’re interested in working on a campaign, reach out here.

What we do this year will determine whether we stay the course we’re on or prove that we deserve something better.

And if any of what I’ve said interests you, I hope you’ll follow along. If not, that’s okay too. I wish you well.

Stay warm. Talk soon,

Gretchen