Debbie Stabenow talks about 'suiting up' to represent Michigan and why she's stepping down
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., has been a force in Michigan politics for a very long time, beginning a career in public service in 1974 — when she was 24 years old and a graduate student — by winning a seat on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners and methodically moving through both state legislative chambers, the U.S. House and, finally, into the Senate in 2000 with a 49%-48% victory over then-Sen. Spencer Abraham.
On Jan. 5, she stunned the political world and her party — having risen to become the No. 3 Democrat in the chamber — by saying she wouldn't run for a fifth six-year term in 2024, despite the almost-universal belief she would be the odds-on favorite to win reelection had she done so.
At age 72, Stabenow, who was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Michigan, said it was time to "pass the torch" to a new generation of leaders and spend more time with her family — almost entirely still in Michigan — including her 96-year-old mother. Her decision set off a flurry of speculation as to who could run in her spot and fueled Republican hopes of winning back the seat.
Stabenow is, and always has been, Pure Michigan. Raised in Clare, her dad ran an Oldsmobile dealership. She graduated from Michigan State University and has always lived in the state. In a wide-ranging interview recently with the Free Press at her Lansing-area home, this Democratic icon, the daughter of a Republican family, talked about her decision, her accomplishments and what she's thinking about doing over the next two years and beyond:
FREE PRESS: Everybody was surprised by your announcement last week, coming when it did. When did you reach the conclusion that you were not going to run for a fifth term?
SEN. STABENOW: Well, it was recently. I really started thinking about it just in terms of my 96-year-old mom, who was my No. 1 supporter and (is) doing well. But she's 96. And I started thinking this fall about, you know, the job is very intense going back and forth to D.C. When you add a campaign on top of that, is that what I wanted to do and not be available during really precious time with her. I started trying to think about how I was going to address that. And then we had the election and the wonderful success and all the wonderful new leaders in Michigan, the young people that came out, it was very inspiring. And I thought, you know, this is the moment for me to pass the torch. It's a good time. I feel as a leader that you should always know when to leave, not stay too long. And this is the moment for me, I think, that makes sense.
FREEP: When you say pass the torch to a younger generation, is that because of the crop of Democrats who were elected first in '18 and were reelected last year?
STABENOW: I'm talking about the folks elected in '18. I'm talking about our wonderful members of Congress. We have just a great group of leaders across Michigan. I’ve always held that … it's not enough to open a door unless it stays open, unless you keep it open which is what I've tried to do my whole career. I think there's a moment where you need to pass it on.
FREEP: Any idea of what you would like to see in a successor? And do you expect to be part of the process of deciding on a nominee before the (Democratic) primary?
STABENOW: I've never endorsed in a primary, we'll have to wait and see. I do know that it needs to be somebody who can win, who has a breadth of experience and background, who knows Michigan. Somebody who cares and is competent and has the right values. That certainly fits a number of people. We'll wait and see. I know that, certainly, I'm going to be involved in continuing to strengthen and organize through the Democratic Party so we are ready for 2024. But once the primary is done, there's no doubt I'm going to be locking arms with whoever our nominee is and working my heart out.
FREEP: Were you surprised that Gov. Whitmer indicated she would not be running for the job?
STABENOW: I wasn't surprised at the governor's reaction because she loves Michigan, she's born and raised (in) Michigan. She has a wonderful opportunity for the first time in 40 years with a Democratic (state) House and a Democratic Senate to really get things done for people. I know that she's very excited about it. This is the moment to really do the things that she thinks are important for people and will move the state forward.
FREEP: People are going to wonder why you made this decision, beyond your family and passing the torch to younger leaders. Is your health OK? Are there any other reasons?
STABENOW: People have asked me… what is it really? You know, I'm very healthy. And I have good genes, my mom's 96. From my perspective, it really is what I'm indicating. I'm Michigan, my whole family's in Michigan, I'm very proud of that. … I have always loved suiting up and going into D.C. to fight for Michigan, but I never felt I lived in D.C. … It's been a long-distance commute to work. And, so, at this moment, it's just the right thing for me personally. … I've loved it but it's tough. It does become a question of, are there other things that I would like to do, other ways to contribute?
FREEP: Any areas you’re certain to remain active in?
STABENOW: I certainly am going to continue to focus on community mental health and addiction services and make sure that the work that Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and I have done and the transformation now taking place in terms of funding is operationalized fully, both in Michigan and nationally. There's no way I'm stepping away from that. And I'm going to continue to be an advocate for eliminating the stigma around these issues so people will ask for help and get the help that they need. But I'm passionate, you know, about the auto industry, I'm passionate about manufacturing, I've always said, we don't have an economy unless somebody makes something and somebody grows something. And I think that's a fact. And that's what we do in Michigan. … One of the things that's interesting to me is that when I first came in and I was on the Agriculture Committee in the U.S. House, there was no section of the farm bill for fruits and vegetables, even though that's most of what we grow in Michigan and about half of what's grown in the country. There was no, what they call, a title. I started working on that and in 2008, we added a title. … I was always joking I was going to have to give my firstborn to get this done. … But we got it done. … Our farmers and rural communities are much more integrated in federal policy.
FREEP: I want to get back into the farm bills here in a second. But let me ask you, does your mom live nearby?
STABENOW: Mom lives about 15 minutes from here.
FREEP: Your kids and your grandkids?
STABENOW: I'm so lucky, my daughter and her family live about 15 minutes from here. My son and his wife live in Lake Orion about an hour and a half away. I have one brother in town, one brother that's down by Jackson, about 40 minutes from here. … My family's in Michigan, I mean, that's who we are.
FREEP: Going to miss fundraising?
STABENOW: I'm not going to miss the national travel for fundraising. But I am definitely going to be involved to support the party and to support our candidate. It's important to me to be a unity force to bring everybody together. I think that's a very important role that I'll play.
FREEP: Did you talk to anybody on the political side before your decision?
STABENOW: This was a very personal decision. I knew it would be — once folks start talking, it would be explosive. So, you know, it was a very close-knit conversation with my family and a few key staff.
FREEP: Was Leader Schumer surprised?
STABENOW: He was. Yes, Leader Schumer was surprised. I'm No. 3 in the Senate leadership and a very big supporter of him, I don't think he gets enough credit for his talent in holding together 50 Democrats in a 50-50 Senate and getting more done probably than in any time in our generation. … I made a commitment to him that we're going to make sure we keep the Senate (seat).
FREEP: I've already read headlines suggesting your announcement is an indication of how bad a year 2024 is going to be for Democrats. There are a lot of seats for Democrats to defend. Did that inform your decision at all?
STABENOW: Not at all. I'm very confident that I'm going to be passing the torch to a Democrat in Michigan because those are the folks with the values who care about Michigan, who know how to get things done, who are talented. We've got way too many extremists on the other side, the MAGA (Make America Great Again) adherents, supporters of former President Donald Trump) folks that are more willing to do investigations and blow things up rather than solve problems. And that's not who we are in Michigan. I also think that even though there are more Democrats (up for election) nationally than Republicans, I think we're going to hold the Senate. People thought we were going to lose the Senate this time (in ’22). And we didn't. We've got the same great team in place with Sen. Schumer and my Michigan colleague, Sen. Peters having re-upped to (lead) the Senate campaign committee again, which means Michigan obviously will be a priority. … When I look at colleagues … whether it's Sherrod Brown in Ohio or Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin or Amy Klobuchar, in Minnesota, and so on, all of these folks are strong, they represent their states well, and they're going to win. I think the Republicans always talk a big game but I don't think it's going to pan out for them.
FREEP: Did the partisan atmosphere in Washington play any role in your decision?
STABENOW: That is not part of my decision at all. But … I am very concerned about it. I've seen over the years, more and more deterioration … and not only people in our country that are trying to divide us with hate and bigotry and racism and so on, but other countries. We don't, I think, take seriously enough how Russia cheers when we're divided, how China cheers when we're divided, Iran cheers. And so yes, there is this whole explosion. Look what's going on in Brazil now. I mean, there are those who want chaos, to create chaos everywhere. And they've had some success. I will say that in Michigan, this last election, people rejected that. My inspiration comes from the young people that showed up, everybody who voted … because people said that's not us and we support our democracy. But in the Senate and in the House, it is tougher. Now, having said that, I've been very successful in spite of it. I’ve led two different five-year farm bills. Now there will be a third. But (also) the transformation of mental health services in this country. The focus that I've had on advanced manufacturing and Alzheimer's disease. Even this last December in the omnibus (spending bill), working with my Republican Agriculture (Committee) leader, John Boozman (of Arkansas), to get the first permanent summer meals program for children ever. … That was against a backdrop that was incredibly divisive. … I was actually really touched by the number of Republican colleagues that called me after my announcement, who I've worked with on various things.
FREEP: There does seem to be more of an attitude of bipartisanship in the Senate.
STABENOW: No question. Susan (Collins, of Maine) was one of the people that called me. Roy (Blunt) called me. Rob Portman (of Ohio), who's been a leader with me on Great Lakes (issues). But others as well. … Folks (who have) said, you know … we don't want to be like what's happening in the House. … We’ll see. I'm the eternal optimist. I do worry about what happens when we send something to the House. But I think in the Senate, there's some opportunity (for bipartisanship).
FREEP: What do you want to try to get done between now and January 2025?
STABENOW: First and foremost is a five-year farm bill. This is the safety net for our farmers and our families. All our nutrition and feeding programs. It's the largest investment our country makes in land and water conservation, bioenergy, rural economic development as well as urban. Very, very important. Also, because of the work I did in the Inflation Reduction Act, this is very much about the climate crisis. We are investing to support farmers (in doing) their part in reducing carbon emissions, reducing methane emissions, (embracing) sustainable forestry efforts.
FREEP: What else?
STABENOW: Rural broadband, I mean, we have put significant money in the infrastructure bill for rural broadband. It makes a difference for hospitals and schools and small businesses and the quality of life in rural Michigan. (We have to work on ) Integrating that, making sure that we have that as a major part of things. Interestingly, another part of the Agriculture Committee that no one would ever think about, we oversee the Commodities Futures Trading Commission — commodities and digital commodities, this whole discussion about cryptocurrency. This is also a priority for me, because there's no regulation, no oversight, no consumer protections. We've written a bipartisan bill that ironically, would have made illegal everything that Sam Bankman-Fried did and we’ve got to get that passed as soon as possible so we're protecting consumers.
FREEP: The words ‘farm bill’ sound kind of bucolic, right? I don't think people understand just how much effort goes into getting people to sign off on a five-year bill of any kind. And particularly one when you start talking about supports and subsidies and things like that. Can you describe the effort that needs to go in to get a farm bill agreed upon?
STABENOW: First of all, this is the economic development plan for rural America. Now, I've also expanded it with an urban agriculture office to make sure that — and by the way, in Detroit, we have probably the most sophisticated urban farmers in the country. Eastern Market is the oldest continuously operated farmers market in the country. And there are all kinds of jobs coming out of that. But it (the farm bill) is traditionally that rural economic development plan plus … food policy in a whole range of areas as well as conservation policy. It's about 1,000 pages. I mean, it's a huge thing. … The first time I led the farm bill in 2014, we made a major shift, from providing payments based on what you grew … to making it risk management. So, crop insurance, you're not going to get any kind of support and help unless you have a loss. … Farmers, by the way, are getting hit over the head all the time (by) the climate crisis. Nobody has to tell them about extreme weather. So all of this now gets tangled up in what is happening with the climate. But this is about making sure we continue to have the safest, most affordable food supply in the world, which we do, and even (during) COVID when supply chains broke down. That's a serious issue … making sure we don't just have four big meat processing operations in our country, two of which are foreign-owned, but that we have smaller regional operations and have more competition, which is part of what I'm doing now. We need more competition, we need to support smaller operations, regional operations. But it's still true that we feed the world and that we have the safest food supply and most affordable food supply. That's important as an economic issue. It's a national security issue. It's a health issue. There are a lot of implications.
FREEP: On Asian carp, are you satisfied with the progress being made on stopping the spread at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project in Illinois?
STABENOW: It has been very frustrating to see what's happened on Asian carp and we're lucky right now. … We're very lucky that those carp are not embedded in Lake Michigan right now. But there is this, 40 miles south of Chicago, this spot where the rivers come together called Brandon Road Lock and Dam. We finally figured out the technologies to use that would stop the carp but allow the barges to keep going through. The funny thing is the authorization is there … but it has been painfully slow.
FREEP: What are you most proud of accomplishing?
STABENOW: I would say they fall in a few categories. Obviously, transforming the way we fund mental health and provide mental health (care) is very, very important to me. I authored the provisions in the Affordable Care Act for what's called mental health parity but yet there still hasn't been the parity there needs to be.
FREEP: And that's personal to you, your dad was bipolar.
STABENOW: My dad, yep. I grew up in the ‘60s in Clare, no services, no diagnosis, no medicine that was able to treat him. When he finally got the right diagnosis … it changed his life, it changed our lives. My dad was able to successfully go back to work and live the rest of his life. There's no reason that should not be available to everyone.
FREEP: He was an Oldsmobile dealer.
STABENOW: My dad and my grandpa had the Oldsmobile dealership in Clare. My mom was the director of nursing at the hospital, small hospital. And even with her contacts, as a nurse, people just didn't know at that time (about bipolar disorder). … It is personal to me and so I've always worked in this area. I've also always looked at our economy. I want everybody to have fair shot in Michigan and across the country, and small business as well as large. … I helped lead the (2008-09) auto rescue to make sure we had an auto industry, the transition to electric vehicles. And then the final thing I would say is Great Lakes — every step of the way.
FREEP: You’ve always come across as full of energy and as nice and charming. But one of the first times I met you was in the Senate press gallery, the night (in December 2008) after the Senate had voted down the auto rescue package. …
STABENOW: Ugh
FREEP: I'm not sure I've ever seen you since so mad. … I mean, there was steam coming out of your ears.
STABENOW: I couldn't believe it. We had Republican colleagues saying, well, as long I can get a car, it doesn't matter where it's made. I thought, ‘What are you smoking?’ You know, I mean, you have no idea the supply chain. Most of the jobs are not in the final assembly. It's in the supply chain. At that time, we had 120,000 car dealers across the country freaking out. I was furious, and the top two people who were leading the other side, right after that, I said, ‘Don't you walk through Detroit airport because you're not coming out alive. Because anybody sees who you are—’ But we went back again, we went back again. And we were able to get it. President Obama, Vice President Biden, were absolutely critical (for) us.
FREEP: Any regrets?
STABENOW: I've learned, you know, I'm not perfect. I mean, there's things that you do and you go, ‘Shoot, I wish I'd known,’ you know, something else or wish I'd been able to do something else. There's always things like that as you're moving through trying to do a good job and trying to listen to people or (representing) a very diverse state. And sometimes there are areas where I didn't understand, you know, as much and needed to listen more and I have tried to do that. But overall, I feel like I've done my best. … I've always been about trying to get things done. … (There have been circumstances) where the other side wanted their name at the top of the bill but would let me write the substance. And I will take that deal any day of the week and have. So it's not about ego. I have an ego like anybody else, but it really has not been about personal ego. It's been about how do you get things done. … Once people see you get something done, there'll be more enough credit for everybody.
FREEP: Are you a different politician than you were when you were running (for governor) in 1994?
STABENOW: I'm certainly, I think, much more seasoned, much more sophisticated. I mean, I couldn't help but be because I've had so many different experiences. And so yes, I've learned a lot. I think I'm tougher when I need to be. … I kind of can see more things coming, I have a better sense of what's really going on. I've had the good fortune of never losing a general election and beating Republicans at every level. But I think the toughest one, it was in 2000, I found out after I beat (then-Sen.) Spence Abraham that a woman had never beat an incumbent United States senator before. And I said to someone, I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me before I ran, maybe I wouldn't have run (laughs). ... It was a tough statewide race.
FREEP: Is there anything else you want to add?
STABENOW: I mean, I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity. The other thing I would say, to put this in perspective is that growing up in a small town, my mom worked, my dad worked, but my mom and dad were always engaged in the school. They … were always volunteering at church, they were always volunteering in the community. And people would say to my mom, gosh, you work 7-to-3. How do you have time? And she said, if my children are benefiting, I feel I have a responsibility to give something back. I grew up with that. … That got ingrained in me.
FREEP: Were your mom and dad Democrats?
STABENOW: No, in fact, up in Clare, I don't think anybody — I didn't know any Democrats, my grandpa was a fire-and-brimstone Republican. Everybody in elected office was a Republican. … But when I went to Michigan State, I got engaged at that time and started looking around the world and, and my mom and dad, God bless them. When I said I was a Democrat then my mom and dad said, ‘Well, it must be OK to be a Democrat now, because Debbie's a Democrat.’ That's the kind of support I have always had and I’m very grateful.
FREEP: Are you going to stay in Michigan?
STABENOW: No question. I can't imagine a more beautiful state.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. This interview was edited for space and clarity.