Current:Home > Contact-usMichigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces book detailing her rapid rise in Democratic politics-InfoLens
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces book detailing her rapid rise in Democratic politics
View Date:2024-12-23 11:39:23
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will detail her rapid ascent in Democratic politics in a book out this summer, a move that will undoubtedly spark fresh speculation about her potential presidential ambitions.
“True Gretch” is scheduled for release July 9 and a book announcement provided to The Associated Press promises insights into Whitmer’s five-year tenure as Michigan’s governor. It will include a behind-the-scenes look at how she navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, became the target of a kidnapping plot and continually clashed with former President Donald Trump.
The book also will highlight her role in the 2022 midterm election, when Michigan voters enshrined abortion rights in the state’s constitution through a ballot initiative. Democrats that year also won full control of Michigan’s state government for the first time in four decades.
Whitmer, a co-chair in President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, has emerged as one of the Democratic party’s top stars and is often named as a potential contender for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028.
“In this moment, our world is thirsty for compassion, empathy, big ideas, and the grit to get sh— done,” Whitmer said in the statement announcing her book. “I hope this book will help you find the good and use it to make a difference. I’ll be doing the same alongside you.”
An attorney turned state lawmaker, Whitmer was first elected governor in 2018 after running a campaign centered on a pledge to “fix the damn roads.”
Shortly into her first term, when the pandemic began, she implemented some of the nation’s most restrictive stay-at-home orders, which made her the ongoing target of right-wing vitriol. Thousands of people came to the state Capitol with guns in 2020 as Trump egged them on, tweeting “Liberate Michigan,” and calling Whitmer “the woman from Michigan.”
Her bouts with Trump, which have continued with him calling Whitmer “radical” and a “terrible governor” this week during a Michigan visit, helped grow her national profile. She delivered the Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union in 2020 and was considered as a potential vice president pick for Biden later that year.
Whitmer won reelection in 2022 by more than 10%. Her party also flipped the state House and Senate, which has allowed them to roll back decades of Republican policies and rapidly implement a Democratic agenda over the past 15 months.
Whitmer’s motto in politics, she writes in the book, is to “get sh— done.”
The book’s release unquestionably will fuel speculation Whitmer is angling for a higher office when her term-limited time as Michigan’s governor concludes at the end of 2026, although she previously has told the AP that she has “no interest in going to D.C.”
Both Simon & Schuster and the governor’s office declined to comment on the financial compensation she received for the book. A spokesperson for Simon & Schuster added “it is our policy not to comment on the financials of a book deal.”
Whitmer in December signed new financial disclosure laws that will require state officials, including the governor, to annually submit reports showing sources of income, properties owned and other assets valued over $1,000 and liabilities valued at more than $10,000. This year, disclosures are due April 15 and will cover the preceding calendar year.
“State government must be open, transparent, and accountable to the people it serves,” Whitmer said in a statement at the time of the signing.
Whitmer will donate the net proceeds from the publishing of her book throughout the entirety of her term as governor to the Capital Region Community Foundation, a nonprofit that leads philanthropic solutions to help improve communities in mid-Michigan, according to the release.
veryGood! (7933)
Related
- College football top five gets overhaul as Georgia, Miami both tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll
- Why a Roth IRA or 401(k) may be a better choice for retirement savings
- Splash Into Style With These Swimsuits That Double as Outfits: Amazon, SKIMS, Bloomchic, Cupshe & More
- Patricia Heaton Defends Harrison Butker Amid Controversial Speech Backlash
- Quincy Jones' Cause of Death Revealed
- Bankruptcy judge approves Genesis Global plan to refund $3 billion to creditors, crypto customers
- UEFA Euro 2024: Dates, teams, schedule and more to know ahead of soccer tournament
- Alien-like creature discovered on Oregon beach
- Deebo Samuel explains 'out of character' sideline altercation with 49ers long snapper, kicker
- Texas bridge connecting Galveston and Pelican Island reopened after barge collision
Ranking
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- Ex-Atlanta officer accused of shooting, killing Lyft driver over kidnapping claim: Reports
- Blue Origin shoots 6 tourists into space after nearly 2-year hiatus: Meet the new astronauts
- 2 injured in shooting at Missouri HS graduation, a day after gunfire near separate ceremony
- North Carolina offers schools $1 million to help take students on field trips
- The government wants to buy their flood-prone homes. But these Texans aren’t moving.
- University of California academic workers strike to stand up for pro-Palestinian protesters
- Courteney Cox Shares Matthew Perry Visits Her 6 Months After His Death
Recommendation
-
AI could help scale humanitarian responses. But it could also have big downsides
-
Bachelor Nation's Ryan Sutter Clarifies He and Wife Trista Are Great After Cryptic Messages
-
11 injured in shooting in Savannah, Georgia
-
Top Democrat calls for Biden to replace FDIC chairman to fix agency’s ‘toxic culture’
-
Dramatic video shows Phoenix police rescue, pull man from car submerged in pool: Watch
-
The Rom-Com Decor Trend Will Have You Falling in Love With Your Home All Over Again
-
Alien-like creature discovered on Oregon beach
-
2024 Essence Festival to honor Frankie Beverly’s ‘final performance’ with tribute