GW
Gretchen Whitmer
DemocratGovernor of Michigan| Age | 54 (b. 1971-08-23) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2019-01-01 (~7 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (European American) |
| Religion | Christian (Christian Church / Disciples of Christ) |
| Education | Michigan State University (B.A. Communication, 1993); Michigan State University College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1998) |
| Prior occupation | Attorney; private law practice with Detroit-based firm Dickinson Wright |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Lansing, Michigan |
| Marital status | Married — Marc Mallory |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | East Lansing, Michigan (family home); Michigan Governor's residence in Lansing |
| Notable relatives | Mother Sherry Whitmer was a Michigan assistant attorney general; father Richard Whitmer was an executive at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and a state insurance commissioner; sister Liz Whitmer Gereghty has been a school board trustee in New York |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2000 |
| Previous offices | Michigan House of Representatives (2001-2006) · Michigan State Senate, 23rd district (2006-2015) · Michigan Senate Democratic (Minority) Leader (2011-2015) · Ingham County Prosecutor (interim/appointed, 2016) · Vice Chair, Democratic National Committee (2021-2025) |
| Leadership | Michigan Senate Democratic Leader / Minority Leader (2011-2015), first woman to lead a party caucus in the Michigan Senate · Vice Chair, Democratic National Committee (2021-2025) · Co-chair, Biden 2024 reelection campaign (2023) |
| Ideology | Described herself as a 'progressive Democrat' (2020) and later as a 'centrist Democrat' (2025); commonly characterized as center-left |
| Signature legislation | Repeal of Michigan's 1931 abortion ban (2023) · Expansion of Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity (2023) · Repeal of Michigan right-to-work law (2023) · Gun-safety package: universal background checks, safe storage, red flag law (2023) · Michigan Reconnect and Michigan Achievement Scholarship (tuition-free/subsidized college programs) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $2,300,000–$2,980,000 (2024) · estimate
| Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX) | fund · $1,003,294–$1,003,294 · 2023 |
| Cottage in Elk Rapids, Michigan | real_estate · $418,200–$418,200 · 2023 |
| Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Admiral Shares (VWIUX) | fund · $382,135–$382,135 · 2023 |
| Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) | fund · $273,973–$273,973 · 2023 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — Pro-Whitmer group Build a Better Michigan fined $37,500 for campaign-finance violations business
In February 2019, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and the Bureau of Elections entered a conciliation agreement finding that Build a Better Michigan (BBM), a 527 group that spent millions supporting Gretchen Whitmer's 2018 campaign, and Whitmer's campaign committee violated state campaign-finance law through coordinated express advocacy. BBM, the business/PAC entity (is_business_entity=true), agreed to pay a $37,500 civil fine and dissolve within 60 days. No fine or penalty was imposed on Whitmer personally, though her campaign committee was a party to the agreement.