Here’s why a swing state Dem governor was in deep red Florida

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) is traveling the country to ramp up Democratic messaging ahead of the 2026 midterm elections — and she stopped in deep red Florida, reportedThe Miami Herald.

Whitmer spent Sunday and Monday in South Florida fundraising for the Florida Democratic Party alongside Miami mayoral candidate Eileen Higgins.

The Michigan governor, who flipped the governor's mansion by spending time in Republican area, says it's a strategy that's leading her into unfamiliar territory.

“There are areas in my state that are very red on a political map that many Democrats wouldn’t bother showing up at. I do,” Whitmer said in an interview Monday with the Herald.

As of October 2025, Michigan has a divided government and is not a fully Republican-controlled state. The state government is split, with Democrats holding the governorship and control of the State Senate, while Republicans control the State House of Representatives.

Having shifted from its former status as a critical swing state, Florida is now a reliably red state where Republicans now dominate statewide and presidential elections and hold significant majorities in the state legislature.

Whitmer has proven she knows how to navigate through seas of red.

“Not writing off a community because it looks red on a political map, but actually getting in there, engaging with people to make sure we stay focused on the things that matter," has been the key to Whitmer's political success, she said.

“If I can undo it fast, it can be done again quickly, so we can’t let up for a second. That’s why I’m here to do more listening than talking," she said.

Whitmer, who has caused controversy by maintaining a more cordial relationship with President Donald Trump than most governors of blue states, has taken a prominent messaging role as Democrats try to find their voice in Donald Trump’s second term, focusing on making economic issues a centerpoint in the midterms — including in Florida.

“Right here in Miami-Dade, you’ve got the largest number of people that are going to be impacted [by healthcare cuts] in the country in this area. We know that the ability to find affordable housing is not just a need in Michigan, it’s a need right here with some of the highest housing costs in the country” Whitmer said. “These are fundamentals that keep people from being able to get ahead.”

Florida Democrats, the Herald reports, have been largely written off by national funding arms in recent election cycles, a replicating curse after years of struggles to win statewide races. When the Herald asked Whitmer whether her visit a year out from the midterms is any indication national Democratic investment could return to the largely-hung-out-to-dry Florida Democrats, she was vague.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the DNC, I don’t have a role there, but I will say this: our success in Michigan is absolutely interlinked with showing up everywhere, talking to everybody,” she said.

Whitmer was also in Florida to promote her new memoir, a move the Herald calls a "very pre-presidential" one even if Whitmer says that's not her priority — yet.

“I have no plans to run for president in 2028,” she told the Herald. “I am actually here because what we’re trying to do is make sure that as we go into midterms next year that we’re running on an agenda that really reflects what people need," before adding, "I’m hopeful that there are some Democratic governors who are in serious contention."

“I don’t know that I’ve got to be the main character in the next chapter, but I certainly want to have a hand in helping write it," she said.