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The senator of Michigan Debbie Stabenow, chair of the Democratic Communications and Politics Committee and a close ally of the Democratic majority leader Senate Charles Schumer (NY), announced Thursday that he will not run for re-election in 2024.
Stabenow’s announcement is a blow to Democrats’ hopes of maintaining their Senate majority in 2025, as they face tough challenges to win a majority in the Upper House in the 2024 election.
Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the US Senate. I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election and will leave the US Senate at the end of my term on January 3, 2025.
Read my full statement: https://t.co/qYJE6lyRJ3 pic.twitter.com/Fq659Aevs0
— Sen. Debbie Stabenow (@SenStabenow) January 5, 2023
“Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the United States Senate. I announce today that I will not seek re-election and will leave the United States Senate at the end of my term on January 3, 2025,” Stabenow announced in a statement Thursday.
Stabenow, the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, says that will focus on passing the farm bill in Congress, which provides hundreds of billions of dollars in support for agriculture.
“Over the next two years, I will be intensely focused on continuing this important work to improve the lives of Michiganders. This includes leading the passage of the next five years’ Farm Bill that determines our nation’s food and agricultural policies,” he said.
Democrats have to defend 23 Senate seats in the upcoming electionincluding those held by independent Senators Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona), Bernie Sanders (Vermont), and Angus King (Maine).
Senate Republicans only need to defend 10 seats in 2024 and they don’t have vulnerable incumbents who can’t win re-election.
At least two of Michigan’s most prominent Democrats, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who now divides his time between Washington, DC, and his family’s home in Traverse City, Michigan, were quick to announce Thursday that they were not planning a 2024 race for Stabenow’s seat.
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