by Kalyn Stralow
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is the number one fundraiser in state politics in the 2022 election cycle so far. According to the most recent campaign finance reports made to the Michigan Secretary of State, the governor received $14,281,061 in total contributions and spent $8,625,120 between Jan. 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2021. Whitmer is running for re-election in 2022.
Gov. Whitmer is a member of the Democratic Party and first assumed office in 2019.
Contributions to Gov. Whitmer
Of the $14.3 million already reported in the 2022 election cycle, 12.25 percent came from the top 10 donors.
Top Donors to Gov. Whitmer (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
Top Donors to Gov. Whitmer (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Donor Name | Donor Type |
| 1. | $250,000 | Jay Pritzker | Individual |
| 2. | $250,000 | Mark J Bernstein | Individual |
| 3. | $250,000 | Patricia Stryker | Individual |
| 4. | $250,000 | Ronda Stryker | Individual |
| 5. | $250,000 | Stacy Schusterman | Individual |
| 6. | $100,000 | Heidi and Christopher Stolte | Individual |
| 7. | $100,000 | James Offield | Individual |
| 8. | $100,000 | Karla T Jurvetson | Individual |
| 9. | $100,000 | Richard Whitmer | Individual |
| 10. | $100,000 | Sharif Hussein | Individual |
Expenditures by Gov. Whitmer
On the expenditures side, Gov. Whitmer reported $8.6 million, with 83.6 percent of all spending going to the 10 payees topping the list.
Top Expenditures by Gov. Whitmer (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
| Rank | Total Amount | Payee Name | Payee Type |
| 1. | $3,557,366 | Democratic State Central Committee | Entity |
| 2. | $1,675,064 | Run the World Digital | Entity |
| 3. | $924,410 | Paychex Inc | Entity |
| 4. | $250,000 | Mark J Bernstein | Individual |
| 5. | $206,595 | Clark Hill Political Action Comm | Entity |
| 6. | $172,389 | Capital Strategies Group | Entity |
| 7. | $161,300 | Anzalone Liszt Grove Research Inc | Entity |
| 8. | $95,852 | Act Blue | Entity |
| 9. | $94,959 | Cardmember Service | Entity |
| 10. | $75,000 | Mario Morrow & Associates LLC | Entity |
How Gov. Whitmer’s fundraising compares to other governors
Among elected officials holding the same level of state office, fundraising varies widely. A number of factors, including whether an incumbent officeholder is running for reelection, influence donor activity. Here is how fundraising by Michigan Gov. Whitmer compares to the 10 other governors with campaign finance data available from Transparency USA in 2022:
Fundraising reported by 11 U.S. governors in the 2022 election cycle
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Michigan PACs submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Annual/January | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 April (PACs) | 4/25/2022 |
| 2022 July (PACs) | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Post-Primary | 9/1/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General | 10/28/2023 |
| 2022 Post-General | 12/8/2022 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.
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Kalyn Stralow is a writer for Ballotpedia.
