Photo credit: State of Michigan
Last night, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made the final State of the State address of her administration, celebrating wins and charting a path forward for Michigan. Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer, Sandy K. Baruah, shared the following reaction to the address:
“Governor Whitmer entered office as a friend and will depart as a friend. Her enduring popularity reflects her genuine connection with Michiganders as she has advanced several critical, long-term policy initiatives long championed by the Detroit Regional Chamber.
Michigan’s leadership to make the first two years of postsecondary education or skilled training tuition-free – through Michigan Reconnect, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, and Futures for Frontliners – continues to be groundbreaking and critical to educating our citizens for the careers of tomorrow.
Governor Whitmer has delivered on her promise to ‘fix the damn roads’ after working with Speaker Matt Hall and elevated Michigan’s reputation as a welcoming state by strengthening the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. She worked with Republican President Donald Trump and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel to secure the future of Selfridge Air Base and successfully expanded the Working Families Tax Credit – all while advocating to keep Michigan at the forefront of a rapidly changing mobility industry.
We look forward to working with the Governor as she continues to lead our state in 2026.
However, Michigan faces a daunting task that will dictate its economic future, and one that falls at the feet of us all. Michigan’s per capita income and educational achievement have fallen from top 20 to bottom 10 since 2000 — over multiple governors and legislatures — and no single party, governor, or legislature can be tagged with Michigan’s fall from grace. What matters as we look forward is charting a long-term — and bipartisan — path to the innovation economy of the future that allows Michigan to be a next-generation innovation leader.
If we get it right, which the Governor has made clear we can, we’ll certainly be able to trace it back to many of the things started during the Whitmer administration.”
– Sandy K. Baruah, President and Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Regional Chamber