LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gretchen Whitmer, a former Democratic legislative leader and interim county prosecutor, is running for Michigan governor in 2018.
Whitmer filed the paperwork Tuesday.
She’s the first person to announce her candidacy for the open seat. Second-term Republican Gov. Rick Snyder can’t run again due to term limits.
In an email to supporters, Whitmer says she’s “no stranger to fights” and Michigan “can do better. We deserve better.” She says Michigan leaders for too long “have been content to manage our decline.”
Whitmer, who lives in East Lansing and is 45 years old, was a lawmaker from 2001 through 2014. Most recently, she served as Ingham County’s interim prosecutor.
Another potential Democratic candidate, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint Township, says he’ll decide whether to run in coming months.
