Governor Gretchen Whitmer will deliver the Democratic Response following President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address on February 4, 2020. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced the news in a press release Friday.
“Since day one, Governor Whitmer has rolled up her sleeves to get things done for the people of Michigan,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the press release. “During her time in public service, she has led the charge to expand health care to hundreds of thousands of people, expand protections for hard-working middle-class families and ensure clean drinking water in our communities."
Whitmer was elected as Michigan's governor in 2018. She was elected to the State House in 2000, and then the State Senate in 2006, where she served as the Senate Democratic Leader.
“Across the country, Democrats are staying focused on building a stronger, more sustainable country for future generations” said Whitmer in the press release. “As leaders, it’s our responsibility to ensure a safe, healthy future for our children and families, and that’s exactly what we’re working toward in Michigan. [...] This response is an exciting opportunity to show the American people that not only are Democrats getting things done for them, but also for future generations to come.”
Whitmer’s press office says she’ll focus on schools and jobs, as well as her marquee campaign promise to “fix the damn roads.”
“Governor Whitmer being selected to deliver the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union speech is a tremendous opportunity, frankly, to showcase the important work the Whitmer administration is doing every day to build a stronger Michigan for everyone,” Tiffany Brown, the governor's press secretary said.
Whitmer’s will be the English-language response. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar of Texas will deliver a Spanish-language response.
Whitmer is set to deliver the State of the State address on Wednesday, January 29 at 7 p.m. Michigan Radio will air the speech live.
This post was updated with information from Gov. Whitmer's press office on January 24, 2020 at 4:56 p.m.
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