Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced Thursday she won’t seek re-election and will retire when her fourth term ends in early 2025. The Democrat’s retirement adds to Michigan’s status as a premier 2024 election battleground state. Stabenow said in a surprising statement Thursday she will leave Congress when her term ends on Jan. 3, 2025. Her decision, she said, was “inspired by a new generation of leaders.” She said she intends to start “a new chapter in my life” after retirement, which includes serving the state and being “active and engaged in the community.”
“I think it’s important to know the time and place where you open doors again for others and pass the torch. I feel like this is really the right time for me, it’s the right time for Michigan,” she told the Detroit News.
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Stabenow is well versed in completing new farm bills, having been Chair during one of them and ranking for another. She is smart, knows policy and politics and usually gets what she wants in farm bill matters. In the past she has focused on specialty crops, row crops and food and nutrition. Bottom line: She is a tenacious lawmaker.
The timing of her announcement is the most surprising.
