Starting in January, Michigan will have a Democrat in the governor’s seat. Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer won the office in Tuesday's midterm election. Whitmer is already making plans for her administration.
Listen above to hear Stateside's conversation with Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer.
Whitmer faces an adversarial state Legislature. Republicans kept the majority in both the House and Senate. But Whitmer has said throughout her campaign that she’ll work with anyone to fix things in Michigan like the roads and education.
That bipartisan promise could extend to her administration. Whitmer says she’s open to appointing Republicans.
“There is, I think a need and an expectation that our government and the tables that make decisions in the state have real representation of them,” she says. "I can find common ground on issues with Republican leaders or not. We are going to sit and meet and start to build relationships, and I think when you talk you can find common ground, but if you’re not talking, you don’t have any shot at it.”
Whitmer has already met with Governor Rick Snyder to work on transition plans.
