(Source: MIRS.news, Published 02/24/2025) What started as a self-described "budding" relationship, according to the Governor, has apparently blossomed into a full-blown working relationship between the sitting Democratic governor and the sitting Republican House Speaker.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer credits House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) "for having the guts" to propose a road fix plan and Matt Hall gives Whitmer credit for picking up the phone when he calls. 

And, as it turns out, the two have found common ground on another hot political issue -- the next race for governor. 

Whitmer and Hall are handling the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, exactly the same. When it would be easy for either one to have their hands out to help, both have opted to be hands-off. 

If Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II is planning on the governor's blessing presuming he runs to replace her or if Hall's long-time friend Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) is hoping the Speaker will ride shot-gun on his bid for governor, the two gentlemen better think again. 

"I have no plans to endorse in the next governor's race," the Governor said. 

"I'm not going to get involved in the governor's race," echoes the Speaker. 

The two peas in a pod are content to watch from the sidelines, but they are willing to lay the groundwork for whomever becomes governor. 

"The way I see it, as the Speaker of the House, I'm working on policy for all the candidates and I hope they all embrace my vision and when we get a Republican governor I'm going to be ready with policies to move forward … he said on "Off The Record."  

Using a similar line of reasoning, the Governor said, "When I leave office, whoever comes next, I want to leave the state in the strongest shape it can be in." 

The Speaker's unwillingness to align with his buddy, Nesbitt, led one reporter to note, "So much for friendship." 

To which, he retorts, "There's a lot of people. Mike Cox I've known him a long time. I've known all of them a long time." 

It turns out the Governor sees it through the same friendship looking glass. 

"I've got a lot of friends who are running or thinking of running … I'm going to leave that up to the people of Michigan," she contends, drawing upon something she learned in law school to explain her thinking. 

She does not believe in what they call  "dead hand control" whereby somebody who is dying, or in this case leaving office, attempts to "control what happens next."