Gretchen Whitmer

We've got to create strategies of our own that ensure that our kids are going to get an education they need, that people are getting connected to skills and that we do more to draw investment into the city of Flint.

Michigan is a state that wants access for women to healthcare.

There was nothing that amazed me more than parents that could channel the loss of their child into a crusade to protect other people's kids.

Our students are not broken. Our teachers are not broken. It's our system that has been broken.

I'm not married to a 45-cent gas tax.

There's not one path for everyone, but everyone deserves a path that's right for them.

The goal is to make sure everyone has got their lead pipes replaced, and I know that's moving forward in the city of Flint. My job is to make sure that we have accountability and ensure we are getting the job done.

Together we can build the Michigan we believe in, because we still have what we need most - the strength, the talent, the vision and the grit of the incredible people of this state.

I do believe ultimately the role is of our state government to ensure every child in this state has a great public school education.

And for government and a bunch of men in government, frankly, to get between a woman and her provider is downright dangerous, especially when most of them can't even spell endometriosis, much less tell you what it means.

I know that when we deprive communities of their voice, it can be dangerous.

The voices of the residents of Flint did not get heard by people that were making decisions and I think that's the most important thing. I want to make sure those voices are answered in the future.

The worst thing we can do is graduate kids who aren't prepared for the real world.

There is a racial element: It's undeniable. We've had inequitable funding of schools for decades in the state of Michigan.

What any candidate should do in any race, frankly, is to show up. There's no special, secret sauce there. It's about having real conversations with real people, and when you do that you stay tethered to the things that matter. And that's what people want.

You can be both progressive and want to get things done - they're not mutually exclusive and that's what I bring.

I am proud to be a progressive.

I was considered the most progressive person the whole time I was in the legislature. I negotiated health care, I negotiated a minimum wage increase.

I make more meals than most men do in a week.

There have been too few women in leadership because they haven't had the opportunities.

Midwest elections have consequences.

Community colleges are in every district in this state, they serve Republican and Democratic families and non-partisan and non-political families as well.

We are all better off when we raise skills in our state, and I know that Republicans and Democrats are going to hear from their communities, hear from their constituents, hear from the businesses in their areas about really making sure that we've got the workforce to make us competitive and raise wages in Michigan.

At a time when too many people want to separate us by building walls, we here in Michigan are going to get back to building bridges together.

Let's fix our roads, and be the state that's not paralyzed by partisanship, but works together. And create the blueprint for rebuilding America's crumbling infrastructure.

I'm a mom. I'm a lawyer. I'm a lifelong Michigander.

You can't expect anyone to hand something to you. And I'm OK with that.

I grew up going to football games with my dad and we were just sports fanatics.

You can get a lot done when you don't care about credit. My name was not on Medicaid expansion, but it never would have happened without the work that I did. The best leaders are the ones that want results, not credit.

The people of Michigan deserve leadership in Lansing that will work to continue providing them with services they depend on every day.

One way or another, we're going to fix the roads in Michigan.

But ultimately, at the end of the day, people want leaders who they respect and who they believe in and who can get things done.

It's hard to do, but a disciplined candidate who really has thoughtful solutions and a plan to execute on them, I think, is ultimately the kind of person that's going to resonate.

If you don't ask for money, people don't think you are a serious candidate.

My number one priority is keeping our kids safe and protecting the health of the people of Michigan.

I'm proud to be a Michigander, but I look around at the Michigan that my kids are growing up in and it doesn't look like the Michigan that I think of when I talk about my pride.

I think the most important thing to know is I'm running for governor because I love the state of Michigan.

I know that the DeVos agenda has absolutely devastated our public school system in Michigan.

Kids in high poverty are much more expensive to educate and need much more support... When they're packed into a classroom of 40 people, they don't have the support they need, they're lost. Schools are supposed to be the thing that levels the playing field.

We have to make it easier to afford to go into education in the first place, so you don't leave with crippling debt that you never have a chance to pay back because you're not making enough money.

I ran on fixing the roads... I ran on cleaning up drinking water.

People want leaders they can look up to, who can solve problems and actually deliver results for our people.

We need to ensure that everyone's got a path to getting a license, so they've got identification.

So many of these decisions are made in a vacuum with a bunch of men sitting around a table deciding what a woman's rights should be, what our access to health care, trying to control women by controlling our bodies.

But over 20 years ago I was a victim of rape. And thank god it didn't result in a pregnancy. Because I can't imagine going through what I went through and then having to consider what to do about an unwanted pregnancy from an attacker.

Obviously, Detroiters pay the worst when it comes to car insurance, but car insurance is expensive for Michiganders across the state. I hear about it in all communities.

One of the weirdest questions I've gotten on the campaign trail is, 'Are you going to run as a woman?' I'm like, 'Do I have an option?' Like, what does this mean?

Detroit's really important to the success of our state. You know, you can't have a successful Michigan if the biggest city isn't a success as well.

I talk about jobs. I talk about education. I talk about making government work for people. That's really the dinner-table issues that I hear from Michiganders in every part of our state.

Lots of women candidates get compared to one another because there's so few women in office and positions in corporate America.