When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer decides to put a ribbon on her career and reflects on her meteoric rise to national fame, she probably owes a thank-you note to Donald Trump who was the booster rocket that launched that journey.

When the two of them were engaged in a very public and very ugly back and forth over which of them had messed up the Covid thing the most, it was he who criticized her as “That Women from Michigan” and, as they say, the rest is history.

To be sure, Trump and other detractors are not alone in their criticism of Whitmer but, come to find out, there are some folks in Michigan not too fond of her either.

Thanks to EPIC-MRA pollster Bernie Porn for sending along some interesting data on who these citizens are and where they are from, let’s start with geography–always a fun topic in this decidedly divided state from top to bottom and east to west.

Porn discovered that the governor is still rollin’ along and singin’ a song on her favorability ratings. Anytime an elected official scores about 50% on this scale, that is reason to rejoice, especially in the hardened and unforgiving climate of our political caldron today.

She scores a very respectable 53% plus rating compared to 41% negative statewide. As for the 6% who have no opinion, they must have just moved here.

Given the command that Trump has of almost everything that moves once you get beyond Clare, this finding is a shocker. And 50% of those Up North like what she is doing. The know-it-alls in this town would have predicted a number of about 20 points under that.

She fails to break the magical 50% mark in West Michigan where Republicans abound, but she comes close with 48% favorable and 46% unfavorable.

But interestingly right in the governor’s own backyard, she is the least popular compared to anywhere else in the state. Mid-Michigan clocks in at only 42% plus and 53% minus. Apparently to know her does not translate into loving her around these parts.

By comparison in Southeast Michigan, she hits 59% plus and 35% minus.

More in line with the popular wisdom the majority of Republicans could care less about her, but please note this, she has 13% of the GOP women and 14% of the Republican men on her side. Former Gov. Bill Milliken and his bride would be proud of that, as would the gov’s mom and dad who taught her the value of bi-partisanship at the dinner table.

Education has always been a dividing line for politicians and the norm is that the more educated lean toward the Democratic side of the ledger and those without a sheepskin to the right. That trend is evident here with 45% of the non-educated voters for her with 50% not so much. Ditto for the voting block ages 35-49. It’s 46% yea and 50% nay.

The governor has always done very well with female independent voters and this survey is no different as she basks in a 60% to 19% favorable light with them, but the independent men are split 47% to 47%. Diving into an explanation here for the gender gap and what drives that is a doctoral thesis ready to be written, and there is no room here to take that dive.

Lucky you.