In an extensive article, perhaps thinking about a future presidential run, the New Yorker had a long and enlightening article by Benjamin Wallace-Wells on Whitmer. The current governor of Michigan, Whitmer is one tough, very smart lady. But she's not the only Democrat in the State. Both houses are also Democratically run--creating a very thick Blue Wall and knocking the DeVos family out of much of their power games for extreme Republicans.
She understood well that the low turnout of 2016, which gave Trump the state, was not about a radical turn to the right, but about "low voter turnout."
Whitmer's wins suggest a different story about the Midwestern heartland.
When asked by Wallace-Wells what it takes to be a successful politician in today's world, here's her very quotable take on the issue.
It's a very interesting combination of cold blood and genuine passion.
What that means, of course, is that in today's political world successful politicians have to have a mean streak in their toolkit and not be unwilling to use it. One of things I admire about Whitmer is that she is quite capable of being a mean son-of-a-bitch (pardon the gender misuses) and is quite capable of using her technology to bring healthy change.
Kudos to Whitmer!
The New Yorker, July 24, 2023, p. 17