Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has won another term in office defeating conservative media personality Tudor Dixon in the highly watched contest for Michigan’s gubernatorial seat.
Whitmer’s profile rose dramatically since 2020 when she emerged as one of the most COVID-careful governors in the nation, drawing ire and protests from conservatives in her state who opposed the prolonged lockdowns. Heavily armed protestors at times overran the Michigan Capitol grounds in 2020 in demonstration against Whitmer’s stay-at-home order. In October that year, the FBI announced they had foiled a scheme to kidnap Whitmer hatched by more than a dozen far-right militia members. Several of the men were convicted of conspiring to kidnap the governor, among other charges, earlier this year.
That stewing among the right in Michigan led to Dixon making a bid for the seat, believing Whitmer had lost touch with the state. The two women embarked on what became a bitter contest, often at total odds over key policy issues.
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On reproductive rights, for one, Whitmer is hoping to preserve abortion access in Michigan, while Dixon had vowed to restrict it while only supporting exceptions in cases where the life of the mother was at risk. The two also sparred in debates on issues of the economy and crime, drawing contrasts similar to those seen in gubernatorial races throughout the nation this cycle.
Polls consistently showed Whitmer with a lead—though Dixon ramped up her campaigning in the final weeks in a clear effort to close in on the governor.
Now in her second term, Whitmer will be term-limited in 2026.
