When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ran for office in 2018, the Democrat made a lot of promises that remain unfulfilled six years later, despite a Democratic majority in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature.

A recent investigation from ProPublica, a nonprofit that aims to “expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government,” looked at Whitmer’s campaign vows to “fix the damn roads,” expand transparency to the governor’s office, repeal the state’s emergency manager law, boost minimum wage to $15 an hour, and crack down on companies that withdraw large quantities of water.

“Six years later, those populist pledges are partially or entirely unfulfilled,” according to the news site. “Advocates and even some allies are waiting for Whitmer to take up the causes she campaigned on during a critical period, when Democrats still have firm control over how the state is run.”

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Serving as Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign co-chair has meant Whitmer is spending much of her time this year on the campaign trail, at the same time she’s balancing a full schedule promoting her new book True Gretch, leaving some to question whether she’ll ever accomplish the agenda she promised voters six years ago.

“Now she has a Democratic House and Senate, and still nothings getting done,” Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, told ProPublica.

After giving up on an unpopular proposal to increase the state’s gas tax by 45 cents to “fix the damn roads,” Whitmer borrowed $3.5 billon to boost state spending on roads and bridges. Yet despite the spending, which runs out this year with no clear way to replace it, “roads are deteriorating faster than the agencies can repair them,” according to Michigan’s 2023 Roads & Bridges Annual Report.

Whitmer’s own Growing Michigan Together Council noted in a December report that the problem plays into the reasons why folks are leaving Michigan for somewhere better.

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“Instead of being an asset to Michigan residents, visitors and businesses,” it read, “the current inadequate maintenance and funding of our roads, highways and bridges is a liability to drivers, the state budget, and the economy.”

The annual funding gap for Michigan roads hit $3.9 billion in 2023, “and this gap is only growing,” according to the report.

Whitmer’s 2018 “Sunshine Plan” also promised to repeal the state’s emergency manager law that’s designed to help distressed cities and school districts get back on track. Whitmer and others have argued the law contributed to the Flint water crisis, and House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash, D-Hamtramck, is working on legislation to replace it.

While Whitmer previously told ProPublica she would “work closely with the legislature if they take up legislation reforming the state’s emergency manager law,” that hasn’t happened.

“Obviously, I would welcome the governor’s support,” Aiyash told the news site.

The Flint water crisis was also central to Whitmer’s campaign promise to crack down on corporations withdrawing large quantities of water in the state, although folks who supported her because of it have since been shut out by her administration.

Whitmer’s “water plan” vowed to “protect Michigan’s drinking water” from commercial withdraws, pointing to Nestle “abusing our water here in Michigan” by withdrawing about 360,000 gallons per day to bottle and sell through its Ice Mountain brand.

Instead, Whitmer is promoting a “winning investment” that involves more than $700 million in secretly negotiated taxpayer subsidies for the Chinese Communist Party-linked battery component manufacturer Gotion, which plans to withdraw about 715,000 gallons of groundwater per day to feed the electric vehicle industry.

“I have a picture of me with her,” Peggy Case, board president of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, told ProPublica of her meetings with Whitmer ahead of the 2018 election. “And yes, she was very strong, she was going to really help us out.”

Since voters put Whitmer in the governor’s mansion, at least nine bills have been introduced to make good on her vow to crack down on the water withdraws, and exactly zero have gained traction.

“She’s basically kind of ignored us for the last six years. Which is sad,” Case said. “I mean, she didn’t ignore us before the election.”

Nondisclosure agreements for the Gotion deal, and other economic development deals, has also fed into criticism Whitmer has abandoned her pledge to expand the Freedom of Information Act to the governor’s office and Legislature.

Bipartisan legislation approved by the Senate in June could eventually expand transparency to the legislature and governor’s office, which are currently exempt from FOIA, but the measure would not take effect until Whitmer leaves office, and would not be retroactive.

Additionally, Whitmer has insisted her office review records requests to other departments that involve communications with the executive branch.

“To me, that is just an unforced error, the height of hypocrisy,” Abby Mitch, executive director of Michigan Rising Action, told ProPublica.

The Michigan Supreme Court did give Whitmer’s plan to increase minimum wage a boost last month when it upheld a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage to nearly $15 by 2028, though the ruling also requires employers to offer paid sick leave and transition tipped workers to minimum wage.

Taken together, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association predicts 20% of restaurants will close, 92% will hike prices, and 68% will lay off employees – up to 40,000 to 60,000 statewide. The potential fallout has prompted demands from Republicans for Democrats to return from their long summer break to correct course, but it remains unclear whether that will happen.

In the three weeks since the ruling, Whitmer and her Democratic allies in the legislature have been “radio silent” about any plan to address the looming job losses, despite the changes taking effect in February.

Democratic activists, meanwhile, are providing cover for the governor and working to explain away why her top policy priorities remain on the to-do list.

“Her last two years have just been so consumed by the pent-up priorities of 40 years for Democrats that a lot of those like first-term promises took a back seat,” Susan Demas, editor for Michigan Advance, told ProPublica.

Democrats took full control of the legislature in 2022, and focused instead on repealing right-to-work and abortion restrictions, expanding gun control, and other priorities.

“Whitmer has overcome obstacles to keep many of her campaign promises,” said Mark Brewer, an activist attorney and former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. “But there are more promises to keep.”