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We’re here on Mackinac Island wrapping up the final day of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference and Rick had a chance to sit down with Governor Gretchen Whitmer for a few minutes. This week, before we head back home with bags full of fudge, we bring you the conversation.
Rick Pluta: You’ve just signed the Selfridge funding legislation, what's next?
Gretchen Whitmer: I mean, the budget. We've got to get the budget done. It would be nice if [the legislature] got it done on time. And I know the legislature's chomping at the bit to get home and campaign, this being an election year. I want to get it done right. And I think, you know, we’ve got a lot of challenges that we're confronting. A lot of cuts that have come from Washington, D.C., a budget year that's not as easy to navigate as other budgets that we've had because of the shortfalls of, of what the projections were. But I think that's what's next.
RP: For you, what needs to be in the budget to get your signature at the end of the process?
GW: I think there are a lot of pieces. You know, our work around literacy is really important and we have, I think, done a lot of the groundwork, but making sure that the education budget continues. That affordable housing build-out is absolutely necessary. We've made great strides, like we've over achieved in terms of what the goals that we set were, but there's still more work to do here. So I think those are a couple of areas that substantively and budget wise, are going to be really important for growth in this state. And that needs to be part of the focus in this budget.
RP: There’s a Republican-controlled House. A Democrat-controlled Senate. What are going to be the difficult things to get negotiated?
GW: You know, I think that there's a path forward on all of the fronts that there are differences on when you look at the House and Senate budgets that they are promoting, and the one that I introduced, you know, four months ago. So I don't think that there's anything that should keep us from hitting that date. It's just a question of whether or not we've got empowered people in the room ready to make decisions and negotiate.
RP: Finally, with roughly half a year left, there's your future to consider. What's next for you, including maybe a run for a different political office?
GW: I'm not planning to run for anything, I can tell you that. I have talked with a lot of folks who I think have made the transition well, including people like Speaker Paul Ryan. Also, you know, Gina Raimondo, who I got caught up with yesterday. You know, everyone said take a little bit of time. And that's always been my inclination. So I'm going to take a breath. I know enough about myself to know I’ve got a lot of gas in the tank. And I want to be a source for good in this world. And so we'll see. But I got no announcements to make yet, Rick.
RP: Is president a possibility?
GW: Running for president in 2028 is not on my list.
RP: … in 2028.
GW: Oh good Lord. Thank you Rick. Good talking to you.
RP: Thank you.
But, even with that, Whitmer didn’t entirely close the door on all the presidency-talk. Later that same afternoon she told the conference audience, “never say never.”
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
