Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) gave her final State of the State address on Wednesday night, focusing on her bipartisan achievements on issues such as education, housing, and healthcare.
Whitmer stuck to the 2026 Democratic playbook by honing in on kitchen-table affordability issues, but the swing state governor did not rail as hard as many Democrats against the Trump administration and thanked President Donald Trump in her only mention of the commander in chief.
She preached a message of unity and earned several bipartisan rounds of applause from the bicameral state legislature, saying, “No matter what comes our way, we will always have a way through because we will always have each other.”
“Right now, it can be hard to stay positive. It’s frustrating to just stay afloat financially, much less get ahead. Ugly rhetoric and rising partisanship, especially at the national level, has made it tempting to tune out and turn away. We’re all searching for a way forward, and the answer has been in front of us the whole time. It is us,” Whitmer said.
The term-limited Michigan governor touted her achievements in tackling Michigan’s child literacy problems and mandating dyslexia testing. She pointed to her budget investments in training teachers, funding tutoring and mental health programs, and upgrading classrooms. As the state ranks 44th in fourth-grade reading skills, she urged the state to fund “free, full-day Pre-K for all,” back “proven” literacy teaching, and asked the next governor to “continue this work.”
Whitmer also spoke on housing affordability, wading into the national political debate over tariffs as she said, “We rely on Canadian lumber and Mexican drywall to build homes.” She blasted the Trump administration’s tariffs for “further exacerbating our housing shortage.” She urged Michiganders to “build, baby, build,” and advocated a state-level affordable housing tax credit.
“There are two more things we should do to build housing: One, demolish nonsensical construction requirements, and two, streamline zoning,” Whitmer said, earning her bipartisan applause.
The last policy priority Whitmer spoke on was healthcare affordability, urging Congress to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies. She also discussed capping medical debt and urged legislators to invest more in Medicaid funding.
Outside of education, housing, and healthcare, Whitmer voiced more liberal priorities, such as her support for Michigan’s gay and transgender community, renewable energy, and gun control laws.
In addition to declaring her opposition to Trump’s tariffs, Whitmer addressed the Trump administration by thanking the president for bringing a new fighter mission to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, saying the audience probably didn’t have that on their bingo card. She also vowed to open the Gordie Howe bridge, which the Trump administration had blocked.
Republican state Sen. Aric Nesbitt gave the rebuttal to Whitmer’s State of the State, blasting the governor’s “bad habit of saying all the right things and then doing all the wrong things.” He ripped into Whitmer over the literacy crisis and failed infrastructure reform despite higher taxes, noting that “less than 10%” of Michigan’s roads have been fixed, despite her promise to “fix the damn roads.”
“By nearly every metric, Michigan is worse off today than when Governor Whitmer first took office. You deserve leaders who share your values and understand your struggle, and that’s why Republicans in the House and Senate are fighting every day so you and your family can make it in Michigan,” Nesbitt said.
He argued that Republican state legislators are the ones “putting more money back in” Michiganders’ pockets.
“We will end the Democrats’ green new scam that’s destroying our forests and farmland for solar panels and making it more expensive to heat your home. We will tackle housing, child care, and healthcare shortages by getting government out of the way and send a blowtorch to Whitmer’s bloated bureaucracy and crippling red tape to make Michigan more affordable,” Nesbitt said.
The Michigan GOP called Whitmer’s address “long on slogans, short on solutions,” and slammed Whitmer for leaning into national political issues.
WHITMER CELEBRATES HER BIPARTISAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN PRE-MIDTERM ELECTIONS MESSAGE
“Republicans in Michigan are committed to rebuilding this state, strengthening our economy, restoring public safety, empowering parents, and delivering real accountability. Governor Whitmer had another chance tonight to join us in that mission. Instead, she proved once again that her priority is partisan warfare, not the people of Michigan,” Michigan GOP Chairman Jim Runestad said.
The two-term Michigan governor, who has fielded speculation from political pundits about a possible 2028 presidential run, capped off her speech with a resounding “Big Gretch Out” as she left the podium for a final time.
