LANSING — This summer, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will publish a book on her meteoric rise in Democratic politics, sparking new presidential speculation. A book announcement to The Associated Press offers insights about Whitmer's five-year governorship in "True Gretch" on July 9. It will reveal how she handled the COVID-19 epidemic, a kidnapping plot, and her conflicts with former President Donald Trump.
Her role in Michigan's 2022 midterm election ballot campaign to constitutionalize abortion rights will be highlighted in the book. Democrats took over Michigan's state government for the first time in 40 years that year. Whitmer, a co-chair of President Joe Biden's reelection campaign, is a rising Democratic star and a prospective 2028 presidential candidate.
“In this moment, our world is thirsty for compassion, empathy, big ideas, and the grit to get sh— done,” Whitmer stated in her book announcement. “This book should help you find the good and make a difference. I'll do it with you." In 2018, attorney-turned-state lawmaker Whitmer was elected governor after promising to “fix the damn roads.”
When the epidemic began in her first term, she issued some of the most restrictive stay-at-home orders, which drew right-wing hostility. Trump inspired thousands of gun-wielding state Capitol visitors in 2020 by tweeting “Liberate Michigan.” Whitmer was dubbed “that woman from Michigan” after Trump's 2020 onslaught.
Her fights with Trump, who called Whitmer “radical” and a “terrible governor” this week in Michigan, raised her national exposure. She gave the Democratic answer to Trump's 2020 State of the Union and was considered for Biden's vice presidency.
Whitmer won reelection by over 10% in 2022. After flipping the state House and Senate, her party has rolled back decades of Republican policies and quickly implemented a Democratic agenda over the past 15 months. Whitmer states in the book that she has a political motto: “get sh— done.”
The book's release definitely will spark conjecture. Whitmer wants to run for office once her tenure as governor ends in 2026, despite telling the AP she has “no interest in going to D.C.” Simon & Schuster and the governor's administration wouldn't discuss her book's pay. A Simon & Schuster spokesman said “it is our policy not to comment on the financials of a book deal.”
In December, Whitmer signed new financial disclosure legislation that require state officials, including the governor, to file annual reports on income, properties owned and other assets above $1,000, and liabilities over $10,000. April 15 is the deadline for disclosures for the previous year. Whitmer stated at the signing that “State government must be open, transparent, and accountable to the people it serves.”
According to the statement, Whitmer will contribute the net revenues from her book to the Capital Region Community Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes philanthropic solutions to benefit mid-Michigan communities, throughout her term as governor.
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