Gretchen Whitmer says her win was a rejection of political violence

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday she „would like to think“ her reelection was a repudiation of political violence.

„Good people need to call this out and say we will not tolerate this in this country. And perhaps part of that message was sent this election,“ Whitmer said Sunday on CNN’s „State of the Union.“

Whitmer was the target of a kidnapping plot in 2020, and the threat of political violence became especially prevalent late last month, following the brutal attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.

The governor, who won her race against Republican challenger Tudor Dixon by more than 10 points, said abortion was also an issue in her race and others around the country. Michigan approved an amendment to their state constitution on Tuesday guaranteeing the right to an abortion, one of five such measures on state ballots last week.

„Democrats were fighting to solve problems … but also protect our ability to make our own decisions about our bodies. These are fundamental, core issues,“ Whitmer said.

She acknowledged that „a governor can’t fix inflation,“ but framed abortion as a key economic issue, as she did during her campaign.

„The ability to decide when and whether to have a child is the biggest economic decision a woman will make,“ Whitmer said to host Dana Bash.

In the election last week, Democrats outperformed expectations set by historical trends and President Joe Biden’s approval ratings to retain key governorships and a Senate majority. The party held out hope for keeping a majority in the House on Sunday morning, as votes continued to be counted.