Whitmer Agenda: Failing Michigan

Michiganders remember the Aughts as our “Lost Decade.” During that time, the state suffered a severe economic downturn and population losses under former governor Jennifer Granholm (now President Biden’s secretary of energy). Granholm is not at fault for the Great Recession, of course. But Michigan fared far worse under her leadership than most other states. The state experienced essentially uninterrupted job losses until the last year of Granholm’s tenure, which began five years before the recession. Michigan was the only state to lose population between 2000 and 2010.

Now, under another Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan is shrinking again. We lost a congressional seat in the last reapportionment after a decade of slow growth, and the state lost population for two consecutive years following the 2020 Census. A recent poll suggests this may be a sustained problem: Over a quarter of Michiganders ages 18 to 29 said they expected to live elsewhere within ten years and another 18 percent were “unsure.”

About the Author

Alexander Hughes

Alexander Hughes, a student at Harvard University, is a former National Review summer intern.

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Michiganders remember the Aughts as our “Lost Decade.” During that time, the state suffered a severe economic downturn and population losses under former governor Jennifer Granholm (now President Biden’s secretary of energy). Granholm is not at fault for the Great Recession, of course. But Michigan fared far worse under her leadership than most other states. The state experienced essentially uninterrupted job losses until the last year of Granholm’s tenure, which began five years before the recession. Michigan was the only state to lose population between 2000 and 2010.

Now, under another Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan is shrinking again. We lost a congressional seat in the last reapportionment after a decade of slow growth, and the state lost population for two consecutive years following the 2020 Census. A recent poll suggests this may be a sustained problem: Over a quarter of Michiganders ages 18 to 29 said they expected to live elsewhere within ten years and another 18 percent were “unsure.”