Governor Gretchen Whitmer is making an appeal for unity as Michigan heads into a new year with a divided legislature.
The governor delivered her State of the State address Wednesday night, saying the intense political division nationwide has clouded minds.
“Partisanship has infected every aspect of our lives, driven by opportunistic politicians and media figures who live by a philosophy, ‘I win if you lose,'” Whitmer said.
Whitmer said social media is keeping people at each other’s throats for the sake of endless clicks, but she’s seen most Michiganders have the same priorities.
Looking ahead, Whitmer called for a long-term plan to pay for road repairs, saying neither party will come up with something that pleases everyone, but it’s worse to do nothing. Whitmer also called for more to be done to reduce housing costs.
“Mortgage rates are above 6%. Home prices have shot up 50% in the last four years. The median age of a home buyer hit 56 years old. That’s an all-time high.”
The governor noted there’s something big happening in Southwest Michigan.
“Palisades will be the first restarted nuclear power plant in American history, protecting 600 local union jobs and clean, reliable power for hundreds of thousands of people,” Whitmer said.
In a theme that came up multiple times, Whitmer said young men are less likely to buy homes lately, just as they’re accounting for fewer college admissions.
“The last thing any of us wants is a generation of young men falling behind their fathers and grandfathers. I’ve heard most about this issue from moms, moms who love their sons and are worried about them.”
Whitmer also warned about the threat to Michigan being posed by tariffs from the Trump administration, saying they’ll harm the auto industry. The governor said she’s not looking for a fight with Trump, but she won’t back down from them either.
