Gretchen Whitmer to say 'American workers are hurting' and focus on health care in Democratic rebuttal

According to excerpts from the rebuttal speech as prepared for delivery, Whitmer will say, "Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away."

She is expected to speak about health care in personal terms, describing how she fought against an insurance company after her mother was "wrongly denied her coverage for chemotherapy."

Whitmer will also make an economic appeal, according to the excerpts released, saying, "American workers are hurting ... Wages have stagnated, while CEO pay has skyrocketed."

White House officials have said Trump will stress a strong US economy in his remarks Tuesday night. Taking on the President directly, Whitmer is expected to say, "It doesn't matter what the President says about the stock market. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don't have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs."

The rebuttal will put a spotlight on Whitmer, whom the Democratic Party has chosen to elevate by giving the speech, as well as Michigan itself, a state that Democrats lost to Trump in the 2016 election and that had previously been part of the Democratic Party's so-called "blue wall." Michigan will be fought over as a battleground state in the 2020 election.

Whitmer was elected governor in 2018 after campaigning on a promise to "fix the damn roads," and her speech will serve as a way for Democrats to refocus the national political conversation on issues and policies they want to prioritize following the State of the Union and will give the party a chance to draw contrasts with the President.

The Michigan governor will be giving her speech from East Lansing High School in East Lansing, Michigan.

Whitmer won't be the only Democrat delivering a response to the President's address.

Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas has been tapped to deliver the Spanish-language response and will be speaking at a family health center in El Paso, Texas.

Escobar is similarly expected to keep the focus on health care and the economy.

According to excerpts from her speech as prepared for delivery and translated into English, Escobar will say, "Republicans across the nation are actively fighting to dismantle benefits that save lives, working in the courts to eliminate every last protection of the Affordable Care Act, including protections for the 130 million people with pre-existing conditions. Democrats are fighting back."

And she is expected to say, "Democrats also know that too many families are struggling to get by in our economy. President Trump's economic policies have created inequality that is creating two Americas: one where the wealthiest 1% benefit and one that leaves too many farmers, businesses, and working families behind."

After Whitmer and Escobar finish their remarks, Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley will give a rebuttal of her own on behalf of the progressive Working Families Party.

Pressley, who has endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primary, told CNN last week that she considered her speech "a love letter to the activists and the foot soldiers who have made (progressive) victories possible and who will continue to make victories possible."

According to prepared remarks, Pressley will make the case for progressive touchstone policies like "Medicare for All" and the Green New Deal, while also directly addressing the President.

"Tonight I want to remind Donald J. Trump that I see right through him," Pressley will say. "The American people see right through him. Tonight we reject short sighted policies that work for the wealthy and powerful few but leave the worker and the immigrant behind."

Pressley will acknowledge the ongoing impeachment trial, but argue that the President presents a threat to the fabric of the country that goes beyond the alleged high crimes and misdemeanors at the center of those proceedings.

"Since he was sworn into office more than three years ago," Pressley will say, "Donald Trump and his administration have attacked our communities with racist, xenophobic, hateful rhetoric, and even more bigoted, destructive policy."

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, will be delivering a State of the Union rebuttal of his own from Manchester, New Hampshire, ahead of next week's primary in the state.

This story has been updated with additional developments Tuesday.

CNN's Greg Kreig contributed to this report.

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