Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has come under fire this weekend as allegations have arisen that her own husband has been trying to flout her strict shutdown rules – in what she says was a “failed attempt at humor”.
Affectionately nicknamed “Big Gretch”, Whitmer was thrust into the spotlight this year as her state battled one of the highest Covid-19 rates with one of the strictest lockdown policies in the country.
But while Whitmer’s strict stay-at-home order has been effective at flattening the curve in Michigan, it has also drawn strong criticism from conservatives and progressives.
Whitmer began to lift some of the restrictions over Memorial Day weekend, but she reminded Michiganders to take their personal responsibility seriously – and in particular, not to descend on to the waterfront in crowds over the weekend.
“If you don’t live in these regions … think long and hard before you take a trip into them. A small spike could put the hospital system in dire straits pretty quickly. That’s precisely why we’re asking everyone to continue doing their part,” said Whitmer before she eased restrictions last Monday.
But Whitmer’s husband, Marc Mallory, might have missed that message. According to a local marina owner, Mallory called asking if the facility could put his boat in the water by Memorial Day weekend.
When Tad Dowker, the owner, said it would not be possible to dock his boat in time, Mallory identified himself as the governor’s husband and asked whether that might help him.
In a Facebook post that has since been removed, Dowker said: “This morning, I was out working when the office called me, there was a gentleman on hold who wanted his boat in the water before the weekend. Being Memorial weekend and the fact that we started working three weeks late means there is no chance this is going to happen … Well our office personnel had explained this to the man and he replied, ‘I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?’”
A spokesperson for Whitmer initially warned against rumors and misinformation when asked about the claims – although the representative did not deny them outright.
But today Whitmer accepted that her husband had made the call, calling it “a failed attempt at humor”.
“Knowing it wouldn’t make a difference, he jokingly asked if being married to me might move him up. He regrets it. I wish it wouldn’t have happened. And that’s really all we have to say about it,” Whitmer said during a press conference.