She became a target of criticism from far-right groups, and her measures triggered protests in April and May. Whitmer, the main target of the plot, had seen her political profile elevated over the preceding months due to her early response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Michigan, in which she enacted strict mitigation measures such as a lockdown of the state. See also: COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in the United States § Michigan COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation measures in Michigan Within the week preceding the Wolverine Watchmen arrests, there were at least three other state and federal arrest operations linked to the Boogaloo movement, to which the Wolverine Watchmen group's ideology adhered. The alleged plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer developed from June through September.

The Michigan Home Guard, a militia that one of the suspects had once been a member of before being kicked out earlier this year, released a statement condemning the Wolverine Watchmen's actions. Other Michigan-based militia groups also distanced themselves from the plotters' actions and intentions. The day after the suspects were arrested, the Michigan Militia issued a statement disavowing the group. The Wolverine Watchmen group was reportedly an offshoot of the Michigan Militia. However, Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said the Wolverine Watchmen group, which the suspects were members of, 'flew under the radar', adding, 'This is simply not a big group that we'd ever heard of.' The Anti-Defamation League identified Michigan as a state where the modern militia movement found its roots and where a number of militia groups remain active. Preceding the 2020 United States elections, law enforcement officials, members of Congress, and groups tracking extremism in the country warned about the increasing threat potential from militia and far-right groups.

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