In 2026, the people of Michigan truly have something to be excited about — the end of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s reign.

If the Granholm administration was our state’s “Lost Decade,” the Whitmer administration will be looked back on as a “Decade of Disaster” for Michigan.

Under the rule of the Whitmer regime, it has been impossible to make it in Michigan. Our economy is among the worst in the nation, our kids are learning DEI instead of the ABCs, red tape is shutting out businesses, and — to the surprise of no one — our roads are still terrible.

But the worst sin of all is undoubtedly the dictatorship she unleashed during the COVID pandemic. I witnessed this firsthand when I took my wife to the OB-GYN in 2020.

I was told that I could not go in because of Whitmer’s lockdown rules.

During that appointment, she learned that she had a miscarriage, and I could not be at her side while she got the worst news a parent could get. I know there are countless others who will never forgive her for being forced to say goodbye to loved ones through windows. Millions of Michigan families have a story about the damage Whitmer has caused.

And while the hardworking people across our state continue to struggle to make it here in Michigan, she spends her time on book tours, global trips and focusing on national political ambitions.

The bottom line is this — the destruction done by Whitmer must never be allowed to happen again. We must turn this state around if small businesses, families and our next generation are going to have any chance to make it in Michigan.

Michigan needs a leader who is going to work tirelessly with President Donald J. Trump to make sure that “made in the USA” means “made in Michigan” and empower ICE to get dangerous illegals off our streets, instead of hiding their face behind a folder when visiting the Oval Office.

Michigan’s next governor must be willing to roll up their sleeves to clean up waste, fraud and abuse in state government. Agencies like the Michigan Economic Development Corporation are completely out of control — under fire for funneling tax dollars to the governor’s friends to purchase posh coffee makers, travel perks and bloated salaries — while creating the kinds of red tape that make it impossible for small businesses to make it in Michigan.

The rising costs families are facing must also be addressed. It is imperative that we lower the cost of insurance, make housing affordable by ending free rent for illegal aliens, and lower energy costs by ending Whitmer’s green new scam and finishing the Line 5 tunnel project.

Finally, and most importantly, we must ensure that the next governor of Michigan makes it easier for the next generation to make it in Michigan. That means throwing out the DEI in our schools and bringing back the ABCs, making sure kids can read at grade level and giving them successful alternatives to college, like training for skilled trades.

There is a lot of work to do. But if Michigan has any chance at a better future, it needs to be done.

So as Whitmer prepares to leave office at the end of the year, I hope she takes time to reflect on her failures and realize the destruction she has brought about the state we know and love — but I’m not holding my breath.

I can only hope the hardworking people of Michigan have learned their lesson about the damage far-left Democrats create when they are in office and remember that come November.

State Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, serves as the Senate Republican Leader and represents Michigan’s 20th Senate District. This op-ed was published in The Midwesterner on Jan. 7, 2026.