A year ago Democratic insiders were wringing their hands saying Whitmer was doomed and we needed to find a man to run for Governor. My how times have changed.
This was nonsense then and is nonsense now. MI already elected a female governor twice, in 2002 and 2006. And Whitmer seems to run a strong campaign. Most voters don't care about gender. At least not those who vote or might vote Democratic. Same on male Democratic incumbents or candidates. If they're doomed, it's not because of gender.
What they were freaked about is the fact that the woman who was elected in 2002 and 2006 was politically radioactive, just like Nancy Pelosi was from 2010 until this year. We all knew that whoever the GOP nominee was would just scream GRANHOLM!!!!!!! incessantly and in a Hillary midterm it might have worked. Right now the national environment combined with Snyder fatigue are the reason why the Granholm refrain isn’t winning over voters. It worked in 2010 and 2014, and in a more neutral environment, it probably would have worked in 2018.