August 8, 2022
Whitmer’s Vision for Michigan: A Failure in Numbers
Lansing, Mich., August 8, 2022 – Since Governor Gretchen Whitmer took office in 2019, Michigan’s economy declined, our roads and bridges crumbled, graduation rates plummeted, and crime increased. Here’s a look at Michigan’s decline under Gretchen Whitmer:
Inflation Crushing Michiganders
The inflation rate currently stands at 9.1% and impacts everything from gas, groceries, and new construction costs, compared to a rate of 1.6% when Whitmer took office in January 2019. Soaring inflation is damaging family budgets, making it difficult for Michiganders to stay afloat.
Unemployment Remains Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
Michigan has 125,000 fewer jobs than it did before Whitmer’s lockdowns. Unemployment reached a shocking 22.7% after Whitmer forced businesses to close and prevented employees from supporting their families.
When Whitmer took office in January 2019, gas prices sat around $2 per gallon. Now gas prices are twice that amount at $4 per gallon. Electric prices have also increased by 16.24%, from .1133/kph in January 2019 to .1317/kph in May 2022.
Michigan saw a dramatic population decline from July 2020 to July 2021, with one study revealing more than half of the moves from Michigan took people out of state.
A recent study from WalletHub rated Michigan as the 8th worst state to drive in, and the number of bridges classified as being in “severe” condition increased between 2019 and 2021.
From the 2018-19 to 2020-21 school years, the high school graduation rate in Michigan dropped from 81.41% to 80.47%, and the number of full-time equivalent teachers in Michigan declined from 85,015.36 to 84,317.37 from 2018-19 to 2020-2021.
Michigan’s violent crime rate is increasing nearly two times the national average and leads the nation in auto theft, with the number of motor vehicle thefts rising from 17,896 in 2018 to 19,086 in 2020.
“The proof is in the numbers: Governor Gretchen Whitmer failed Michigan over the past four years,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “Under Whitmer, Michiganders are struggling to make ends meet, residents are less safe, and fewer students are graduating.”