{"id":5331,"date":"2026-05-28T15:49:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/whitmer-pence-and-buttigieg-reflect-on-the-future-of-state-policy\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T15:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:49:07","slug":"whitmer-pence-and-buttigieg-reflect-on-the-future-of-state-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/whitmer-pence-and-buttigieg-reflect-on-the-future-of-state-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Whitmer, Pence and Buttigieg reflect on the future of state policy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered the opening address for the second day of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitchamber.com\/mackinac-policy-conference\/\">Mackinac Policy Conference<\/a> to an audience of both government and business leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitchamber.com\/\"> the Detroit Regional Chamber<\/a>, introduced Whitmer and emphasized her history of bipartisan collaboration in a highly polarized federal government, citing a comment from President Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/detroit\/news\/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-dnc-speech-day-4\/\">referring<\/a> to Whitmer as \u2018that woman from Michigan.\u2019 The speech addressed challenges swing-state governors face in achieving political unity amid intense polarization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey represented something we always see,\u201d Whitmer said. \u201cLeaders reaching out to listen, to learn and to find alignment in the middle of uncertainty and division. To me, that\u2019s what common ground looks like \u2014 leading the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To begin her final MPC opening address as governor, Whitmer reflected on the state\u2019s recent achievements regarding developments in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/research\/openai-data-center-planned-for-farmland-in-saline\/\"> artificial intelligence<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.gov\/info-finder\/reactors\/pali\"> nuclear power<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/gordiehoweinternationalbridge.com\/\"> infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe landed the largest economic development deal in Michigan history, putting us on the cutting edge of AI and creating thousands of good-paying jobs in Saline Township,\u201d Whitmer said. \u201cWe\u2019re on track to be the first place in North America to restart a nuclear power plant at Palisade, and soon we will open the Gordy House International Bridge.<strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whitmer then acknowledged the challenges currently affecting Michigan as her second term nears its end. Notably, she cited the economic<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aei.org\/articles\/the-economic-costs-of-the-iran-war\/\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/economy\/april-inflation-data-iran-war-rcna344586\">impact<\/a> and political divide resulting from the United States\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2026\/05\/27\/world\/iran-war-trump-deal\">war<\/a> in Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe know that chaotic tariffs and costly Iran war are jacking up gas prices and making it harder for families to get ahead,\u201d Whitmer said. \u201cInflation has just hit a three-year high. Consumer sentiment is down low at historic lows, and Americans are sick and tired of political division.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continuing discussions on bipartisan collaboration, Bob Riney, president and CEO of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.henryford.com\/\"> Henry Ford Health<\/a>, introduced former Vice President Mike Pence as the event\u2019s keynote speaker. Pence addressed the recurring theme of political polarization in the federal government, and expressing support of<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/us\/dictionary\/english\/reach-across-the-aisle\"> cross-aisle<\/a> conversations.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI believe that democracy depends on heavy doses of civility,\u201d Pence said. \u201cI think the American people long for us to restore a threshold of civility to public life, and it can begin right here. The truth is, as we discuss when (moderator) comes out, the quest for common ground has never been more urgent in our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After concluding his speech, Pence was joined by Roop Raj, news anchor for FOX 2 Detroit. Their conversation acknowledged Whitmer\u2019s statements about leaders finding peace among partisanship by citing Raj\u2019s past interviews with Pence following his<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/11\/15\/politics\/mike-pence-book-trump-january-6\"> resignation<\/a> from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t talk as often as we used to, which was every day, almost all day long,\u201d Pence said. \u201cThe president and I had a great working relationship and it didn\u2019t end the way I wanted it to \u2014 but I\u2019ll always believe, by God\u2019s grace, I did my duty to support you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to Raj\u2019s question about his last contact with Donald Trump, Pence shared that the two have not spoken since a congratulatory phone call following the Trump administration\u2019s 2024 win, marking the <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/pence-denounces-trump-jan-6-trump-slams-standing\/story?id=97853339\">close<\/a> of his connection with the White House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking ahead to midterm elections, Raj asked Pence for his perspective on upcoming political campaigns in Michigan. Pence endorsed Senate candidate Mike Rogers, then discussed the Independent gubernatorial campaign of former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who ultimately<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/news-briefs\/mike-duggan-ends-independent-campaign-for-michigan-governor\/\"> exited<\/a> the race after a drop in polls.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This conversation prompted the question of potential success for future politicians interested in running Independent campaigns within the two-party system. Pence said he wished Duggan had run as a Republican because he believes Democratic and Republican parties are too strong for an Independent campaign to find success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou see people being alienated from both political parties, but I think that gives evidence of what I\u2019m saying about the American people,\u201d Pence said. \u201cWe\u2019re a two-party system, and that\u2019s a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following Pence\u2019s speech, Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. secretary of transportation, conversed with Baruah on current Michigan policy concerns. Baruah began by asking Buttigieg about China\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/itif.org\/publications\/2026\/03\/23\/assessing-evolving-global-competitiveness-of-us-auto-industry\/\"> growth<\/a> as an industrial power in the automotive sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buttigieg referenced the Indiana automotive manufacturer,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/march-18\/studebaker-goes-bankrupt\"> Studebaker Corporation<\/a>, which filed for bankruptcy and ceased production in 1966 due to competition with more financially stable companies. He used the example to highlight the risks facing automotive companies that lack the financial support needed to keep pace with innovation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat happens if any sector of the American economy or any firm within the American economy is unable to remain at the cutting edge?\u201d Buttigieg said. \u201cI hope that a sense of urgency is animating our automotive sector on the actual work that has to be done to that cutting edge China is racing to own.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buttigieg and Baruah then discussed electric vehicle advancements, and how U.S. corporations can embrace and embed these innovations into their manufacturing. Although U.S. consumer support has declined, Buttigieg reflected on the<a href=\"https:\/\/pluginamerica.org\/policy\/federal-ev-policy-timeline\/\"> introduction<\/a> and recent<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/09\/30\/nx-s1-5557153\/ev-tax-credit-sales-spike\"> removal<\/a> of tax credits for individuals purchasing electric vehicles. He noted the importance of policy progressing alongside technological advancement to maintain a competitive worldwide economy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buttigieg continued to discuss transportation policy issues, citing the Trump administration\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/detroit\/news\/windsor-mayor-drew-dilkens-gordie-howe-bridge-trump\/\"> opposition<\/a> to opening the Canadian government-funded<a href=\"https:\/\/gordiehoweinternationalbridge.com\/\"> Gordie Howe International Bridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c(The Gordie Howe International Bridge) is almost hard to comment on, because it is so blindingly obvious,\u201d Buttigieg said. \u201cThe bridge should be open, and there should be nothing political about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To conclude the morning speakers, Baruah asked Buttigieg to share his understanding of the conference\u2019s goal of bipartisan collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI really admire this convening, because this is something that\u2019s all too rare,\u201d Buttigieg said. \u201cIt\u2019s a gathering of people who have very different political persuasions, but a common fate.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Summer Managing News Editor Alexa Cheaney can be reached at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/government\/whitmer-pence-and-buttigieg-reflect-on-the-future-of-state-policy-during-day-two-of-mackinac-policy-conference\/mailto:acheaney@umich.edu\"><em>acheaney@umich.edu<\/em><\/a><em>. Summer News Editor Kylie Harmala can be reached at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/government\/whitmer-pence-and-buttigieg-reflect-on-the-future-of-state-policy-during-day-two-of-mackinac-policy-conference\/mailto:kharmala@umich.edu\"><em>kharmala@umich.edu<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered the opening address for the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference to an audience of both government and business leaders.\u00a0 Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, introduced Whitmer and emphasized her history of bipartisan collaboration in a highly polarized federal government, citing a comment from President [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2942,1378,4803,91,4804,361,4802],"class_list":["post-5331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-buttigieg","tag-future","tag-pence","tag-policy","tag-reflect","tag-state","tag-whitmer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5333,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5331\/revisions\/5333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}