(WWJ) U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the first woman elected to the Senate from Michigan, says she won’t seek reelection and will retire when her fourth term ends in 2025.
After the news broke Thursday morning, she joined Jackie Paige live on WWJ Newsradio 950 to talk about her decision.
"First let me just say that, you know, I'm born and raised in Michigan and see everything through the lens of Michigan, and it's been such an honor to serve, in various capacities to serve the people in Michigan and hope we make a difference in their lives," Stabenow said.
"I think this is the right time," she added. "I think it's important to be willing to pass the torch to the next generation, and we have a wonderful new generation of leaders in Michigan. And it's important for me...to know when the time is to pass the torch."
On a personal note, the 72-year-old senator said she would like to spend more time with her loved ones, including her mother who is 96 years old.
"Really, I want to have the opportunity to be there with her and the flexibility to do that that a campaign does not allow," Stabenow said. "So, between Mom and give great grandkids, you know, my family is an important part of the consideration as well."
Speaking live on WWJ shortly after the news broke, Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingle, a fellow Democrat who has worked closely with Stabenow over the years, said she absolutely did not see this coming.
"Stunned; just absolutely stunned," Dingle told WWJ's Jackie Paige and Jonathan Carlson. "I really had thought that she was gonna run again."
She has been a very good public servant. She was riding in Senate leadership, so when I heard the news this morning I was just completely stunned."
Asked what comes next for the party, Dingle said this is a time to support and celebrate Stabenaw, and to thank her for all the good work she has done.
"Everybody's gonna be scrambling around about who's gonna run, who's going to be replacing (her)," Dingle said. "I think we all need to take a deep breath, figure out who the strongest candidate would be, how we support them. And I think you're not gonna have all the answers everybody's gonna want today."
Stabenaw released the following statement:
“Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate. I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election and will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of my term on January 3, 2025.
“As part of my own new generation, I was elected to the Ingham County Commission in 1974 at the age of 24. As the youngest and first woman to chair the Board, this began years of breaking barriers, blazing trails, and being the ‘first’ woman to reach historic milestones as an elected official, including the honor of being the first woman from Michigan elected to the U.S. Senate. But I have always believed it’s not enough to be the ‘first’ unless there is a ‘second’ and a ‘third’….
“When I ran for the State Legislature in 1978, there were only eight women serving in the State House and none in the State Senate or top statewide offices. This year there are 44 women serving in the State House and 15 in the Senate! Women hold the top three statewide elected offices, and we have the first female Majority Leader in the State Senate!
“I am ‘Made in Michigan.’ My work is deeply rooted in my love of our wonderful state. Whether protecting our Great Lakes, transforming mental health services, or ensuring our state can continue to make things and grow things to be competitive in our world economy, I am proud that my accomplishments have made a difference in people’s lives and created a strong foundation for a healthy and prosperous future for our state.
“For the next two years, I am intensely focused on continuing this important work to improve the lives of Michiganders. This includes leading the passage of the next five-year Farm Bill which determines our nation’s food and agriculture policies. It is also key in protecting our land and water and creating jobs in our rural and urban communities.
“Under the cloud of unprecedented threats to our democracy and our basic freedoms, a record-breaking number of people voted last year in Michigan. Young people showed up like never before. This was a very hopeful sign for our future.
“I am so grateful for the trust the people of Michigan have placed in me. I am also deeply grateful to my incredible staff, who are the best team in the United States Senate. They continue to set the highest standards for service in Michigan and across our country.
“When my term ends, I intend to begin a new chapter in my life that includes continuing to serve our State outside of elected office while spending precious time with my amazing 96-year-old mom and my wonderful family.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, called Stabenow "a champion for Michigan."
"As the first woman elected to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, she’s been leading the fight for working families, the auto industry, and farmers for a lifetime in Michigan and for Michigan in Washington, DC. She continues to stand up for workers’ rights and expand paths to good-paying jobs in the trades, bring manufacturing and supply chains home to Michigan, and work across the aisle as Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee to deliver record, bipartisan farm bills," Whitmer said, in a statement.
"She is a fierce protector of our Great Lakes, fought for decades to modernize the Soo Locks, and continues to tackle toxic contaminants in drinking water. She’s also a leader in expanding access to affordable health care and ensuring parity for mental health services," the governor added.
"Most of all, she is an incredible friend. Debbie is one-of-one. As governor of this great state for the next four years, I look forward to working with her through the end of her term and beyond in however she serves our state next.”
While the news is still fresh, Whitmer's name is among those being mentioned as a possible replacement for Stabenow in the Senate. Also on that list is Pete Buttigieg, who is currently serving as United States Secretary, and is a Michigander after moving from Indiana to Traverse City with his husband and children last summer.
Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University, Dave Dulio said Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin could be interested, as well as Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
And he expects a lot of interest from Republicans, too.
"We'll have all sorts of people I think looking at this seat as a potential opportunity. It's going to be I think a wide open primary in both parties," Dulio told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "On the Republican side, folks have already asked John James if he's gonna look at it...And note that he hasn't even been sworn into his first seat, his first term in House of Representatives."
Other GOP names floating around, Dulio said, include Mike Bishop and Tom Leonard and Tom Bennet, both former members of Congress representing Michigan, and ex-Rep. Peter Meijer who lost his Republican primary to a Donald Trump-endorsed challenger.
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