Candidate Comparison:

Michigan Governor

Gretchen Whitmer_Gov Website

Gretchen Whitmer (D)

tudor-dixon

Tudor Dixon (R)

Wages

Whitmer supports raising the minimum wage and proposed using $300 million in federal grants for businesses to cover the difference in employees’ current salary and a new higher minimum wage.	Dixon has not voiced any support for raising the minimum wage and is supported by anti-worker politicians who have opposed any increases in the minimum wage.
Whitmer is an advocate for making the tax code work for working families. She proposed tripling the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit and expanding the federal child tax credit for almost two million families in Michigan. [1]	Dixon’s tax plan would slash state funding for schools and transportation. [2]

Paid Time Off & Sick Leave

Whitmer is a strong advocate and supporter of affordable childcare. She has approved a record $1.4 billion in childcare funding, which created 1,000 new childcare programs. Whitmer also broadened the criteria for families to qualify for free or low-cost childcare, which will allow more parents to re-enter the workforce.	Dixon has yet to share any plans on paid leave. Her supporters include politicians who denied workers paid emergency sick leave during the pandemic. [4]
Whitmer is supports paid parental leave and created the first parental leave benefit for state employees. [3]

Helping Essential Workers

Whitmer is an advocate for essential workers. Whitmer has sought to expand job opportunities, childcare opportunities, and pay for essential workers. She established the Futures for Frontliners Program, which enables essential, frontline workers to attend community college tuition-free and proposed $500 million in “Hero Pay” for essential frontline workers.	Dixon has not said what she would do to help essential workers. She has been endorsed by politicians who failed to protect workers during the pandemic. [6]
Whitmer’s mask enforcement and social distancing policies early in the pandemic helped save the lives of frontline essential workers. [5]

Health Care

Whitmer is committed to delivering affordable health care and lower prescription drug costs to Michiganders.	Dixon has no plan to address health care coverage or costs, simply parroting her endorsers’ call to “repeal and replace Obamacare,” without offering alternative plans. [8]
Whitmer has signed legislation that will lower prescription drugs costs, protect against surprise medical bills, ensure pharmacists provide honest advice to patients regarding treatment options, and curb bad practices like forcing a patient to pay a co-pay that is higher than the selling cost of the prescription drug.
Whitmer has worked to expand health care access and improve quality of care for minority and rural communities. She established the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, and she secured a $13 million grant to support rural hospitals in Michigan. [7]

Economic Insecurity & Inflation

Whitmer is dedicated to helping families with inflation. Whitmer supports temporarily suspending the federal and state gas taxes. She has proposed a $500 tax rebate to Michigan families to address rising costs and increased food assistance for Michiganders facing economic hardship.	Dixon opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, which will help lower health care costs, invest in climate action, and generate good-paying jobs. [9]
Whitmer proposed repealing Michigan’s retirement tax, which would save Michigan households with pensions around $1,000 a year.
Whitmer championed the extension of ACA subsidies and worked with other Governors to make sure the Inflation Reduction Act included that help.

Unions & Labor

Whitmer has been a strong advocate for labor unions. When Michigan passed right-to-work in 2012, Whitmer said, “What a disgrace to see Governor Snyder sign the Right to Work legislation mere minutes after the legislation was finalized.” She also spoke out against the bill on the state Senate floor, saying, “This is about people.”	Dixon has criticized unions, saying, “Whitmer sided with union bosses when she vetoed promising bills that would have empowered parents to make more decisions about their children’s education.”
Additionally, Whitmer was endorsed by multiple unions in 2018 and 2022. Whitmer’s first union endorsement in her 2018 governor campaign was from UFCW.	Dixon has been endorsed by anti-worker politicians. [10]
She has also received endorsements from the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Workers Union (RWDSU), the Michigan Education Association (MEA) Online, and UAW.

CHECK THE FACTS: