Debbie Stabenow is the incumbent US Senator from Michigan who has been in the office since January 3, 2001 as the successor of Spencer Abraham. Formerly, Debbie was a member of the US House of Representatives from Michigan’s 8th District (1997 – 2001) and Michigan Senate from the 24th District (1991 – 1994).
Early Life and Education
Debbie Stabenow was born on April 29, 1950 to father Robert Lee and mother Anna Merle. Born in Gladwin and raised in Clare, Michigan, Stabenow went to Clare High School for early education. Then, she joined Michigan State University for undergraduate studies. Debbie also did her post-graduate degree in social work from the same university.
Personal Life
Debbie Stabenow is currently single. She was married to Dennis Stabenow until 1980. The couple had two children named Todd and Michelle. In 2003, she tied the marital knot with Tom Athans and the couple stayed together until their divorce in 2010. Tom has a daughter named Gina.
Career
Graduating from Michigan State University, Debbie Stabenow joined Ingham County Board of Directors. She remained in the position for three years and ran for Michigan House of Representatives. Stabenow was elected in 1978 and she assumed office on January 6, 1979 as the successor of Thomas M. Holcomb. Stabenow served until 1991 and turned towards the Michigan Senate. On January 12, 1991, Debbie officially became a member of the Michigan Senate from the 24th District. She was succeeded by Mike Rogers on January 14, 1994.
In the 1994 Michigan Gubernatorial Election, Stabenow was chosen as running mate by Democratic candidate Howard Wolpe. Unfortunately, as Wolpe lost the election, Stabenow forfeited her chance to become Lieutenant Governor of Michigan. Hence, she ran for US House of Representative in the 1996 election. Debbie defeated Republican candidate Dick Chrysler with 53.76% and assumed office on January 3, 1997. Stabenow earned another term in the office by winning the 1998 election against Susan Grimes Munsell.
In 2000, Debbie decided to run for a position in the US Senate. Consequently, she won a tight election against incumbent Spencer Abraham with 49.47% votes. To follow up, Debbie won her second term in the office by winning Michael Bouchard with 56.9% votes as opposed to Bouchard’s 41.3%. Likewise, Debbie had a landslide victory in the 2012 Senatorial election as she had a victory margin of over 20% votes against Republican candidate Pete Hoekstra. SO far, Stabenow has engaged herself in the following committees:
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Finance
Currently, Debbie also serves as Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. In the past, Stabenow was Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee (2011 – 2015) and Secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference (2005 – 2007).
In 2006, Debbie was one of the Senator who voted against constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Likewise, she helped President Obama solve the 2008 credit crunch by supporting his stimulus plan worth $787 billion. Interestingly, although she believes in Global Warming, she frequently opposed federal regulation to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Donald Trump and Debbie Stabenow
As Trump won the election on November 8, 2016, Debbie said that she was ready to support Donald Trump for his successful tenure in an interview. However, according to the reports, she urged Democrats to not attend Trump’s Inaugural ceremony on January 20.
