In a political party that has been criticized for its lukewarm response to the Dobbs decision, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan appears to stand out. We take you inside her fight — and her family’s — to protect abortion access in her home state.

Read more:

A year before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was already thinking about how to protect abortion rights in her home state. In particular, she was working to overturn a 1931 abortion ban that would go back into effect were Roe v. Wade ever ruled unconstitutional. 

Many in the party labeled her an alarmist for her messaging well before the Dobbs decision. But now, she’s considered ahead of the curve in the fight to protect abortion rights.

As Whitmer prepares for her reelection campaign this November, her push for abortion rights will be one of the issues Michiganders will be judging her on in the polls. 

Ruby Cramer, a political enterprise reporter for The Post, spent time with Whitmer shortly after the Dobbs decision to better understand her unique presence — and her family’s — in politics.