LANSING, Mich. (AP) 鈥� Michigan Democratic made a direct appeal to who shifted sharply to the right in the most recent election in a speech Wednesday in which she continued to call for each major party to work across the aisle.
Whitmer delivered her speech just days after President Donald Trump at a White House dinner and reiterated her hope to find common ground with him. As a potential 2028 presidential candidate with a national profile built on advocating for women鈥檚 rights, Whitmer emphasized that her message was directed 鈥渢o all young people, but especially to our young men.鈥�
鈥淭he last thing any of us wants is a generation of young men falling behind their fathers and grandfathers,鈥� Whitmer said.
Young men swung sharply for Trump in the November election. He gained a larger share of than he did in 2020, most notably among men under age 45, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters. Many respondents cited Trump's approach to the economy and job opportunity.
Whitmer nodded to areas where women have outpaced men in recent years, including and home-buying. She said twice as many women are enrolling in a state program for tuition-free community college as men.
Whitmer pledged to sign an executive order to boost young men's enrollment in education and skill-training programs.
One of 12 female state governors and arguably the most well-known, Whitmer has built a national profile on . She helped pass a ballot measure in 2022 that codified reproductive rights in the state and was one of the nation鈥檚 leading abortion rights advocates in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
鈥淎nd to the women out there who are succeeding after decades of having the deck stacked against them, I see your resilience and I will never abandon my commitment to equal opportunity and dignity for everyone," she said.
The address was the second-term governor's second-to-last State of the State speech due to term limits. The speech serves as an annual platform for the governor to promote policy.
In her final two years as governor, Whitmer faces a split Legislature after Republicans flipped the state House of Representatives. She has consistently said she wants to and Republicans in Michigan, and she signed a bipartisan package to alter in the state last week.
Whitmer struck a similar tone Wednesday.
鈥淢y north star has always been collaboration,鈥� she said.
In her speech Wednesday, she promoted legislation to limit cellphone usage in schools and to tax vape products. Republicans have signaled their support for legislation limiting cellphone usage in schools, while disapproving of Whitmer鈥檚 plan to tax vapes.
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Isabella Volmert And Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press
