By Chad Livengood, Crain's Detroit Business

Democrat Gretchen Whitmer captured the governor's office in Tuesday's midterm election, riding a wave of backlash against Republicans over the polarizing presidency of Donald Trump.

Democrats saw a surge of support in the Detroit suburbs of southern Oakland and western Wayne counties, helping Haley Stevens prevail over Republican businesswoman Lena Epstein in the 11th Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Dave Trott. Within that same swath of Oakland and Wayne counties, three female state Senate candidates — Rosemary Bayer, Dayna Polehanki and Mallory McMorrow — defeated Republicans for seats long held by the GOP.

In her victory speech Tuesday night, Whitmer talked about how the Mackinac Bridge was constructed in the 1950s amid divided government in Lansing as she alluded to the nation's political divisions since Trump became president.

"At a time when we see too many people who want to divide us by building walls, I think we in Michigan need to get back to building bridges," said Whitmer, who will become Michigan's 49th governor and just the second woman to hold the office.