Lee DeVito
With 22 percent of the vote counted, the Associated Press is projecting Gretchen Whitmer to win Michigan's gubernatorial race.
The former Democratic state Senate minority leader leads Republican candidate and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette by about 68,000 votes, according to the New York Times.
Schuette was a Trump-style candidate who made immigration a focus of his campaign and as attorney general led the crusade against gay marriage, among other unpopular acts — a crusade that, much like his gubernatorial campaign, was not successful. Meanwhile, Whitmer campaigned as a very agreeable centrist, making "fix the damn roads" the centerpiece of her message.
In 2013, years before #MeToo was a hashtag, she made national headlines for revealing she was assaulted in college during a dramatic Senate floor speech arguing against a controversial Republican-led "rape insurance" measure. This year, Whitmer was part of a movement that included a record number of women running for political offices across the country. In Michigan, Whitmer led an all-female Democrat ticket that also included Dana Nessel for attorney general, Jocelyn Benson running for secretary of state, and Debbie Stabenow for senator.
Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.
