Share and Follow
Amid the turbulent political climate, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was prepared for occasional backlash regarding her policies. Yet, she didn’t foresee how her political choices would jeopardize her husband, Dr. Marc Mallory, impacting both his safety and professional life. When Whitmer enforced stringent lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the discontent from her constituents also targeted her husband. As a result, Dr. Mallory, a dentist by profession, was taken aback when he started receiving threats.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
As Whitmer recounted on a January 2023 episode of “The Axe Files with David Axelrod”, Dr. Mallory endured similar threats as she did, albeit without the constant security detail. Later that year, Mallory, a lifelong Republican, opted to shutter his dental practice permanently. “Concerned for the well-being of his patients and staff, he chose to retire,” she explained. This wasn’t the retirement Mallory had envisioned.
Whitmer elaborated, “These were supposed to be his peak earning years, crucial for retirement planning, but he had to forgo them.” Some of his former patients were aware of the situation, though details remained scarce. A Reddit user noted, “I’m aware there was more to the threats, but he didn’t publicly complain. That’s not his nature.” Mallory’s sacrifice for his wife’s political journey was significant, yet not the first time her policies thrust him into the spotlight.
Governor Whitmer’s stay-at-home directive was met with widespread disapproval, a sentiment seemingly shared by her husband. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2020, Dr. Marc Mallory allegedly attempted to leverage his status to expedite getting his boat on the water as restrictions were easing. “This morning, I received a call about a gentleman wanting his boat ready before the weekend,” wrote local marina owner Tad Dowker in now-deleted Facebook posts (via TV6).
When Dowker’s staff explained their inability to comply, Mallory reportedly asked, “I am the governor’s husband; does that change anything?” Whitmer later addressed the situation, stating that her husband’s remarks were meant in jest. “My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week while inquiring with a small business about our boat and dock in the north,” she stated during a press briefing, as reported by The New York Times.
Marc Mallory drew criticism for joke amid Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions
Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order was unpopular across the board. That apparently included her own husband. During Memorial Day weekend in 2020, Dr. Marc Mallory was reportedly willing to use his influence to enjoy some time in the water amid the loosening of some of the restrictions put in place by his own wife. “This morning, I was out working when the office called me, there was a gentleman on hold who wanted his boat in the water before the weekend,” local marina owner Tad Dowker wrote in since-deleted Facebook posts (via TV6).
Dowker’s employees explained they couldn’t accommodate him, but Mallory insisted. “He replied, ‘I am the husband to the governor, will this make a difference?’” In response, Whitmer said her husband’s comments had been a joke. “My husband made a failed attempt at humor last week when checking in with a small business that helps with our boat and dock up north,” she said in a news conference, according to The New York Times.
Whitmer said Mallory regretted his actions. “He thought it might get a laugh. It didn’t,” she continued. However, even Democrats had a hard time defending Mallory here. “This smells bad. And I generally support Whitmer (and am extremely left-leaning generally). Best to take her lumps, and apologize,” a Reddit user argued. Others agreed. “Left or Right this is pretty cut and dry. We really need to start holding our politicians to a much higher standard,” a second Redditor noted.
