This article originally appeared in The Detroit News March 3, 2026.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is not over, but her final State of the State address last week marks the beginning of the end. A governor’s first State of the State is about the agenda. The fourth address is the case for continuity and reelection. The eighth is about legacy, accomplishments and unfinished business.

The governor took a magnanimous, collaborative tone. As Michigan’s leading Democrat, Whitmer is not afraid to throw a partisan elbow. But during her speech, she cited numerous Republican lawmakers. She high-fived House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., and praised him for securing a road funding deal. And she thanked President Donald Trump for bringing a new fighter mission to Selfridge Air National Guard Base. If you’ve lost a parent, you recognized the hitch in Whitmer’s voice when she talked about her father, who recently passed away, and his influence on her career. It was touching.

The governor reviewed policy changes her liberal and progressive supporters will cheer: imposing gun restrictions, repealing right-to-work, mandating alternative energy, expanding Medicaid and codifying abortion in the Michigan constitution.

But the governor said little about two priorities that dominated her time in office. Over her governorship, Whitmer has approved $6.9 billion in business subsidies. Several of the programs were massive flops, producing few or no jobs, and her economic development agency is in turmoil. She was similarly quiet about the Covid-19 pandemic. Whitmer imposed some of the most severe lockdown restrictions in the country, only to be rebuked by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Looking ahead, Whitmer emphasized literacy and housing.

“Michigan is 44th in fourth grade reading. 44th,” said Whitmer. “This is a serious problem.”

She’s right. Michigan students score below the national average in reading. Sixty percent of third graders failed the 2025 state reading test.

The governor bears responsibility for Michigan’s education trends. Student performance has only gotten worse since Whitmer took office in 2019, and our students are getting worse compared to other states. Other states have improved their schools using tools like robust teacher evaluations, requiring failing students to repeat a grade, scoring schools using letter grades and new education choice programs — all policies that Whitmer blocked or repealed.

Whitmer also called for action on housing affordability. Housing is subject to the laws of economics, just like any other item. If you restrict the supply of something, the price goes up. Whitmer praised a bipartisan bill package that allows for more housing construction. If enacted, the bills could help ease housing costs in Michigan.

Many politicians talk about affordability. As Whitmer tackles affordability in her final days in office, she must confront a tough reality: You don’t make living more affordable by growing government.

Nevertheless, Whitmer touted multiple “free” programs and perks: pre-K for all 4-year-olds, breakfast and lunch for all public school students, community college for high school graduates, associate’s degrees for people 25 and up, affordable housing tax credits, first-time mortgage and down payment assistance, paid sick leave mandates, medical debt forgiveness and Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Extra subsidies do not lower costs; they transfer costs to taxpayers.

A governor’s final State of the State is about legacy, accomplishments and unfinished business. Whitmer made the case for the first two while glossing over her biggest failures — billions wasted on business subsidies, weak economic performance and draconian pandemic lockdowns. Whitmer’s speech was strongest when she talked about what she wants to get done. Literacy and housing are two issues she can move through a divided Legislature in an election year.

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