LANSING – Gov. Whitmer released a list of her administration priorities Wednesday night — an agenda that has a greater chance of becoming policy with Democrats controlling all levels of political power in the state for the first time in 40 years.

“We spoke with a clear voice in November,” Whitmer said in her annual State of the State address, which she delivered in person for the first time since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. “We want the ability to raise a family without breaking the bank. We want strong protections for our fundamental rights to vote and control our own bodies.”

Whitmer, whose party took control of the two legislature chambers this year, vowed to further defend abortion rights in a state where voters solidified them in the state constitution last year after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.

“Let’s repeal our extreme 1931 law banning abortion,” Whitmer declared.

Michigan has emerged as one of the country’s premier electoral battlegrounds, with close presidential races in 2016 and 2020 and a Republican Party that has veered further right in response to former President Trump’s politics. Whitmer, who was on President Biden’s shortlist for vice president, is seen as a rising national star in the Democratic Party.

She was re-elected to a second term last year by a double digit victory. On Wednesday, she set out in broad terms an agenda that would expand civil rights for LGBTQ people, enact stricter gun safety measures and “pursue climate action while creating more jobs.”

In her State of the State address, Whitmer vowed to further defend abortion rights, expand protections for LGBTQ people and pursue stricter gun measures

Whitmer also appealed to bipartisanship, specifically on her proposal for free universal preschool, part of a larger plan to reduce costs for Michigan families.

“I know we might have different perspectives here, but I sure hope we can all get around supporting 4-year-olds across Michigan,” she said.

In a response video, State Senate GOP leader Aric Nesbitt suggested Whitmer’s desire for political collaboration is all talk.

“The governor says all the right things about working across the aisle,” Nesbitt said. “But the truth is that she set a record during her first term for vetoing bills, many which Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass.”

Gov. Whitmer holds up a prop during the State of the State address on Wednesday in Lansing, as Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and House Speaker Joe Tate of Detroit applaud. – Courtesy photo

In several policy areas, Whitmer spoke more defiantly or struck more partisan tones.

“States with extreme laws are losing talent and investment, because, you know what? Bigotry is bad for business,” she said as she vowed to push for stronger laws prohibiting discrimination against Michigan’s LGBTQ residents.

On the issue of guns, Whitmer decried “a flood of illegal guns on our streets” and the rise of 3D printing technology that can turn semi-automatic guns into fully automatic weapons. She called for universal background checks and safe-storage laws.

“The time for only thoughts and prayers is over,” Whitmer said. “It’s time for commonsense action to reduce gun violence in our communities.

“I’m not talking about law-abiding citizens,” she added. “Hunters and responsible gun owners from both sides of the aisle know that we need to get these commonsense safety proposals across the finish line.”

Whitmer, who has downplayed talk about her national prospects and ruled out running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat next year, offered few hints about her political future.

“Over the last four years, we’ve faced historic challenges and seen the visceral consequences of political division,” said Whitmer, who was the target of a 2020 kidnapping plot by men angered by the restrictions she imposed during the pandemic. “But the prevailing take now seems to be that things will get worse. Fatalism is in vogue as people wonder aloud whether America’s best days are behind her. I reject that. We cannot mistake pessimism for intelligence.