Governor Gretchen Whitmerhas won her bid for a second term, fending off a challenge from Republican Tudor Dixon.
The Democratic governor consistently led in polls and fundraising. She took to the stage at her election watch party a little after 1 am and stopped just a little short of claiming victory.
“We are feeling damn good about where we are headed,” she told a crowd chanting “Big Gretch.”
Whitmer also cheered ballot question wins, included a voting rights amendment and enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.
“We will make Michigan a leader, a place where every person is respected and protected under the law, a place where women make their own decisions, a place that protects civil rights and workers’ rights and there’s a path for everyone,” she said.
Reproductive rights was a centerpiece of Whitmer’s reelection campaign.
Dixon said the governor’s race is still too close to call. Whitmer plans a morning news conference where she is expected to declare that she’s won.
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