View source for Debbie Stabenow

{{Short description|American politician (born 1950)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name          = Debbie Stabenow
|image         = Debbie Stabenow, official photo, 116th Congress.jpg
|caption       = Official portrait, 2019
|jr/sr         = United States Senator
|state         = [[Michigan]]
|term_start    = January 3, 2001
|term_end      = January 3, 2025
|predecessor   = [[Spencer Abraham]]
|successor     = [[Elissa Slotkin]]
{{collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Committee positions
 |titlestyle       = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
|office1       = [[Senate Democratic Policy Committee#List of chairs|Chair]] of the [[Senate Democratic Policy Committee|Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee]]
|leader1       = [[Chuck Schumer]]
|term_start1   = January 3, 2017
|term_end1     = January 3, 2025{{efn|From 2017-2019 as Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.}}
|predecessor1  = Chuck Schumer
|successor1    = [[Amy Klobuchar]] (Steering and Policy)<br>[[Cory Booker]] (Strategic Communications)
|office2       = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry|Senate Agriculture Committee]]
|term_start2   = February 3, 2021
|term_end2     = January 3, 2025
|predecessor2  = [[Pat Roberts]]
|successor2    = [[John Boozman]]
|term_start3   = January 3, 2011
|term_end3     = January 3, 2015
|predecessor3  = [[Blanche Lincoln]]
|successor3    = Pat Roberts
|office4       = Ranking Member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry|Senate Agriculture Committee]]
|term_start4   = January 3, 2015
|term_end4     = February 3, 2021
|predecessor4  = [[Thad Cochran]]
|successor4    = [[John Boozman]]
|office5       = [[United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary|Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus]]
|leader5       = [[Harry Reid]]
|term_start5   = January 3, 2005
|term_end5     = January 3, 2007
|predecessor5  = [[Barbara Mikulski]]
|successor5    = [[Patty Murray]]
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
|state6        = [[Michigan]]
|district6     = {{ushr|MI|8|8th}}
|term_start6   = January 3, 1997
|term_end6     = January 3, 2001
|predecessor6  = [[Dick Chrysler]]
|successor6    = [[Mike Rogers (Michigan politician)|Mike Rogers]]
|state_senate7 = Michigan
|district7     = [[Michigan's 24th Senate district|24th]]
|term_start7   = January 12, 1991
|term_end7     = January 14, 1994
|predecessor7  = [[William A. Sederburg]]
|successor7    = [[Joe Schwarz]]
|state_house8  = Michigan
|district8     = [[Michigan's 58th House of Representatives district|58th]]
|term_start8   = January 6, 1979
|term_end8     = January 12, 1991
|predecessor8  = [[Thomas M. Holcomb]]
|successor8    = [[Dianne Byrum]]
|office9       = Chair of the [[Ingham County, Michigan|Ingham County]] Board of Commissioners
|term_start9   = January 1977
|term_end9     = January 1979
|predecessor9  = Ken Hope
|successor9    = Bill Sweet
|office10      = Member of the [[Ingham County, Michigan|Ingham County]] Board of Commissioners<br>from the 13th district
|term_start10  = January 1975
|term_end10    = January 1979
|predecessor10 = Gordon Swix
|successor10   = Dennis Willard
|birth_name    = Deborah Ann Greer
|birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1950|4|29}}
|birth_place   = [[Gladwin, Michigan]], U.S.
|death_date    = 
|death_place   = 
|party         = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse        = {{ubl |{{marriage|Dennis Stabenow|1971|1989|end=div}} |{{marriage|[[Tom Athans]]|2003|2010|end=div}}}}
|children      = 2
|education     = [[Michigan State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Social Work|MSW]])
|signature     = Debbie Sabenow signature 00.svg
|module      = {{Listen
|pos         = center
|embed       = yes
|filename    = Debbie Stabenow on her support for the Growing Climate Solutions Act.ogg
|title       = Stabenow's voice
|type        = speech
|description = Stabenow supporting the Growing Climate Solutions Act.<br>Recorded June 24, 2021}}
}}
'''Deborah Ann Stabenow''' ({{IPAc-en|'|s|t|æ|b|ə|n|aʊ}} {{respell|STAB|ə|now}}; {{Nee|'''Greer'''}}; born April 29, 1950) is an American politician who served from 2001 to 2025 as a [[United States Senate|United States senator]] from [[Michigan]]. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], she was Michigan's first female U.S. senator.

Before her election to the Senate, Stabenow was a member of the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], representing [[Michigan's 8th congressional district]] from 1997 to 2001. Previously, she served on the [[Ingham County, Michigan|Ingham County]] [[County commission|Board of Commissioners]] and in the [[Michigan State Legislature]].

Stabenow was reelected to Senate in [[2006 United States Senate election in Michigan|2006]], [[2012 United States Senate election in Michigan|2012]], and [[2018 United States Senate election in Michigan|2018]]. She became the state's senior U.S. senator upon [[Carl Levin]]'s retirement in 2015. Stabenow chaired the [[United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry|Senate Agriculture Committee]] from 2011 to 2015 and again since 2021. She became chair of the [[Senate Democratic Policy Committee]] in 2017. At the start of the [[118th Congress]], Stabenow became the dean of the Michigan congressional delegation, upon the retirement of Representative [[Fred Upton]]. On January 5, 2023, she announced that she would not seek reelection [[2024 United States Senate election in Michigan|in 2024]].<ref name="StabenowMI">{{cite news |last=Burke |first=Melissa Nann |date=January 5, 2023 |title=Michigan's U.S. Sen. Stabenow won't seek reelection in 2024 |work=Detroit News |url=https://detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/01/05/michigan-democratic-senator-debbie-stabenow-wont-seek-re-election-in-2024-to-retire-2025/69779936007/ |access-date=January 5, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1= |date=5 January 2023 |title=Sen. Stabenow will not seek re-election in 2024 |work=Upper Michigans Source|url=https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2023/01/05/sen-stabenow-will-not-seek-re-election-2024/ |access-date=5 January 2023}}</ref>
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==Early life and education==
Stabenow was born in [[Gladwin, Michigan]], the daughter of Anna Merle ({{Nee|Hallmark}}) and Robert Lee Greer.<ref>[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/stabenow.htm Deborah Ann (Greer) Stabenow] Rootsweb</ref> She grew up in [[Clare, Michigan]]. She graduated from [[Clare High School]], where she was president of her junior class, the first female class president at the school. She received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree from [[Michigan State University]] in 1972. Also from Michigan State University, she earned a [[Master of Social Work]] ''[[magna cum laude]]'' in 1975.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/s000770/ |title=US Congress Votes Database: Debbie Stabenow (D) |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008065532/http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/S000770 |archive-date=October 8, 2011}}</ref>

==Early political career==

===Ingham County politics===
While a graduate student at [[Michigan State University]] in 1974, Stabenow ran for public office for the first time, inspired by the threatened closure of a local nursing home. She won her first election in November 1974, becoming just the third woman elected to the [[Ingham County, Michigan|Ingham County]] [[Board of Commissioners]], on which she served from 1975 to 1978. Stabenow was the first woman and youngest person to date to chair the board of commissioners in 1977 and 1978. She was preceded as chair by one of her political mentors, Ken Hope. She was also instrumental in establishing a women's commission in Ingham County.<ref name="uscc.gov">{{cite web|title=Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)|url=https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Debbie%20Stabenow.pdf|website=uscc.gov|access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref>

===State legislature===
In 1978, Stabenow challenged Michigan State Representative [[Thomas M. Holcomb|Tom Holcomb]] in a primary election. She won the primary and eventually the general election for the 58th House District. Stabenow served in the [[Michigan House of Representatives]] from 1979 to 1990. She became a force in state Democratic politics and the first woman in House leadership to preside over the House. In 1990, Stabenow ran for the [[Michigan Senate]] seat being vacated by [[William A. Sederburg]]. She won the election, taking office in 1991 and serving one term through 1994.<ref name="uscc.gov" />

===1994 gubernatorial election===
{{See also|1994 Michigan gubernatorial election}}
In 1994, Stabenow ran in Michigan's Democratic [[Governor of Michigan|gubernatorial]] primary to challenge incumbent Republican [[John Engler]] in the general election. U.S. Congressman [[Howard Wolpe]] won the primary with a plurality of 35% of the vote to Stabenow's 30%. After the primary, Wolpe chose Stabenow as his running mate, and she appeared on the general election ballot as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=41906 |title=MI Governor – D Primary Race – Aug 02, 1994 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref> Engler defeated the Wolpe–Stabenow ticket, 61%–38%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=40124 |title=MI Governor Race – Nov 08, 1994 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref>

===U.S. House of Representatives===
In 1996, Stabenow ran for a seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]], challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman [[Dick Chrysler]] for the opportunity to represent [[Michigan's 8th congressional district]]. She defeated Chrysler 54%–44%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=29540 |title=MI District 8 Race - Nov 05, 1996 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref> In 1998, she was reelected with 57% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=30686 |title=MI District 8 Race - Nov 03, 1998 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref> In the House, Stabenow served on the [[United States House Committee on Agriculture|Agriculture]] and [[United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology|Science Committees]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.gov/stabenow/about_committee.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991004222350/http://www.house.gov/stabenow/about_committee.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 1999-10-04| title = Congresswoman Debbie Stabenow {{!}} Congresswoman Stabenow's Committees and Caucuses}}</ref>

==U.S. Senate==
[[File:Debbie Stabenow DNC 2008.jpg|200px|thumb|Stabenow speaking during the second day of the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]] in [[Denver]], [[Colorado]]]]

===Elections===

====2000====
{{Main|2000 United States Senate election in Michigan}}

Stabenow did not seek reelection to the House in 2000, choosing instead to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Senator [[Spencer Abraham]]. She won the Democratic primary unopposed. In the general election, Stabenow defeated Abraham 49.5%–48% (a difference of 67,259 votes).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=100 |title=MI US Senate Race - Nov 07, 2000 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref>

====2006====
{{Main|2006 United States Senate election in Michigan}}

Stabenow was challenged by Republican [[Michael Bouchard]], [[Oakland County, MI|Oakland County]] sheriff and former [[Michigan Senate|State Senate]] Majority Floor Leader. Stabenow defeated him 57%–41%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=6822 |title=MI US Senate Race - Nov 07, 2006 |publisher=Our Campaigns |access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref>

====2012====
{{Main|2012 United States Senate election in Michigan}}

Stabenow was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee [[Pete Hoekstra]], former U.S. representative,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.detnews.com/article/20110720/POLITICS03/107200386/Hoekstra--Senate-campaign-will-focus-on-smaller-government--less-spending |title=Hoekstra: Senate campaign will focus on smaller government, less spending |date=July 20, 2011 |publisher=Detroit News |last1=Price |first1=Deb |last2=Hurst |first2=Nathan |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/65bo7Pe8p?url=http://www.creditmachines.com/supplies/officechairs/hoekstra-senate-campaign-will-focus-on-smaller-government-less-spending/ |archive-date=February 21, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 59% to 38%.

==== 2018 ====
{{Main|2018 United States Senate election in Michigan}}

Stabenow was reelected to a fourth term, defeating Republican nominee [[John E. James]], 52.3%–45.8%.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/michigan-senate|title=Michigan U.S. Senate Election Results|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 28, 2019|access-date=May 22, 2020}}</ref> The margin was 275,660 votes (6.50%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mielections.us/election/results/2018GEN_CENR.html|title=2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018|website=mielections.us}}</ref> making this the closest U.S. Senate election in Michigan since [[2000 United States Senate election in Michigan|2000]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Leonard N.|date=November 6, 2018|title=Stabenow defeats James in Michigan's U.S. Senate race|website=[[The Detroit News]]|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/06/michigan-us-senate-race-debbie-stabenow-john-james-results/1814446002/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416070738/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/06/michigan-us-senate-race-debbie-stabenow-john-james-results/1814446002/|archive-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref>

===Tenure===
[[File:Debbie Stabenow, official portrait.jpg|thumb|left|Stabenow during the [[112th United States Congress|112th Congress]]]]
Before her final committee assignments, Stabenow also served on the [[United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs|Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee]]<ref name="Stabenow Banking committee membership">{{cite web | title=Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee | website=C-SPAN.org | date=2006-09-20 |url=https://www.c-span.org/congress/committee/?60979&congress=109 | access-date=2024-02-27}}</ref> and the [[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Special Committee on Aging]].<ref name="committee membership 2001">{{cite web | title=SAVING OUR SENIORS: PREVENTING ELDER ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION | website=GovInfo |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-107shrg74685/html/CHRG-107shrg74685.htm | access-date=2024-02-27}}</ref>

Stabenow is only the second person from Michigan to have served in both houses of the [[Michigan State Legislature]] and both houses of the [[United States Congress]], the other being [[Thomas W. Ferry]].<ref name="LE Ford">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cVtFJ5tvINsC&pg=PA425|title=Encyclopedia of Women and American Politics|publisher=Facts on File|year=2008|isbn=978-0-8160-5491-6|editor-last=Ford|editor-first=Lynne E.|location=New York|pages=425|lccn=2007004331}}</ref> She is also the first person to have served as a Michigan state legislator to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mari|first1=Edil|title=#Squad—The Female Democratic Senators of the United States|url=https://medium.com/democratic-national-convention/squad-the-female-democratic-senators-of-the-united-states-77bf296059d6|website=Medium channel of the Democratic National Convention|date=July 28, 2016|publisher=Medium |access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref> (until enactment of the [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|17th Amendment]] in 1913, U.S. senators were selected by state legislatures).<ref name="17th">{{cite web | title=U.S. Senate: Landmark Legislation: The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution | website=U.S. Senate | date=7 August 2023 | url=https://www.senate.gov/about/origins-foundations/senate-and-constitution/seventeenth-amendment.htm | access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref>

Stabenow became the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate on November 16, 2004, when she was elected secretary of the Democratic caucus.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Freeman|first=Jo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrXz8X8lbdwC&pg=PA237|title=We Will Be Heard: Women's Struggles for Political Power in the United States|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4616-4688-4|location=Lanham, MD|pages=237|lccn=2007038762|author-link=Jo Freeman}}</ref> As caucus secretary, she assisted [[Senate Minority Leader]] [[Harry Reid]] in setting the Democratic agenda and priorities.<ref name="LE Ford" /> Senator [[Dick Durbin]] was elected [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|minority whip]], the second-ranking Democratic spot. In November 2006, Reid announced that Stabenow would leave the caucus secretary position to succeed [[Hillary Clinton]] as chair of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, charged with "engag[ing] Democratic Senators and community leaders across the country in an active dialogue".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=265865& |title=Senator Harry Reid, Majority Leader |publisher=Democrats.senate.gov |date=November 14, 2006 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830223355/https://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=265865& |archive-date=August 30, 2010}}</ref>

After [[Tom Daschle]], President [[Barack Obama]]'s nominee for [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services]], withdrew from consideration, the [[National Organization for Women]] urged the president to appoint Stabenow, citing her focus on health care and her background as a social worker.<ref>{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Teddy|date=February 3, 2009|title=Women's Group Pushes Stabenow for HHS|work=[[The Note (ABC News)|The Note]]|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/02/womens-group-pu.html|url-status=dead|access-date=February 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513181004/http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/02/womens-group-pu.html|archive-date=May 13, 2009}}</ref>

Stabenow became chair of the [[Senate Agriculture Committee]] in 2011, following the defeat of [[Blanche Lincoln]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Senator Stabenow to Chair Agriculture Committee|url=https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=2|publisher=stabenow.senate.gov|access-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref> A controversial item during Stabenow's tenure was the renewal and reform of the [[2012 U.S. Farm Bill]]. Reid reintroduced 2012's Senate Farm Bill in the [[113th Congress]] in January 2013, saying that it was on his top priority list, and Stabenow voiced support for Reid's move, saying, "Majority Leader Reid has demonstrated that the Senate will once again make supporting our nation's agriculture economy while cutting spending a top priority."<ref>{{cite news|last=Riske|first=Laura|title=Farm Bill a Top Priority for Senate Leader Harry Reid |url=http://www.natlawreview.com/article/farm-bill-top-priority-senate-leader-harry-reid|access-date=February 3, 2013|newspaper=The National Law Review|date=January 30, 2013}}</ref>

On October 29, 2014, Stabenow introduced the [[Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act (S. 1603; 113th Congress)]], a bill that would reaffirm the status of lands taken into trust by the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]] for the benefit of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band.<ref>{{cite web|title=CBO - S. 1603 |url=http://www.cbo.gov/publication/45451|publisher=Congressional Budget Office|access-date=June 20, 2014|date=June 17, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Cox|first1=Ramsey|date=June 19, 2014|title=Senate passes land trust bill for Pottawatomi Indians|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/210011-senate-passes-land-use-bill-for-pottawatomi-indians|url-status=live|access-date=June 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226020339/https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/210011-senate-passes-land-use-bill-for-pottawatomi-indians|archive-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref> The bill would clarify that the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band's land trust could not be challenged in court under the Supreme Court decision ''[[Carcieri v. Salazar]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Senate Indian Affairs Committee business meeting and hearing |url=http://www.indianz.com/News/2014/013716.asp |access-date=June 20, 2014 |publisher=Indianz.com |date=May 19, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704062754/http://www.indianz.com/News/2014/013716.asp |archive-date=July 4, 2014}}</ref>

Stabenow was participating in the certification of the [[2021 United States Electoral College vote count]] when Trump supporters [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|attacked the United States Capitol]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Clarke|first1=Kayla|date=January 6, 2021|title=Michigan representatives react to riots as pro-Trump groups storm US Capitol, force lockdown|publisher=[[WDIV-TV]]|url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/01/06/michigan-representatives-react-to-riots-as-pro-trump-groups-storm-us-capitol-force-lockdown/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201211929/https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/01/06/michigan-representatives-react-to-riots-as-pro-trump-groups-storm-us-capitol-force-lockdown/|archive-date=February 1, 2021}}</ref> Along with other senators and staff, she was evacuated from the Senate chamber through a stairwell and taken to a safe location.<ref name="Kent">{{cite news|last1=Keller|first1=Blake|last2=Kent|first2=AnnMarie|date=January 7, 2021|title=Stabenow: Nation needs to heal after violence in D.C.|publisher=[[WNEM-TV]]|url=https://www.wnem.com/news/stabenow-nation-needs-to-heal-after-violence-in-d-c/article_9d550c62-5133-11eb-af0f-87371795c107.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113132748/https://www.wnem.com/news/stabenow-nation-needs-to-heal-after-violence-in-d-c/article_9d550c62-5133-11eb-af0f-87371795c107.html|archive-date=January 13, 2021}}</ref> She called the experience "heartbreaking" and "one of those things out of a movie" and said she had not felt that much fear since her time at the Capitol during the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref name="Kent"/> After the Capitol was secure, Congress returned to session to certify the election. Stabenow supported the certification.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kriss|first1=Will|date=January 7, 2021|title=Senators Stabenow, Peters release statements on D.C. protests|publisher=[[WKZO (AM)|WKZO]]|url=https://wkzo.com/2021/01/06/pelosi-peters-release-statements-on-d-c-protests/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604165659/https://wkzo.com/2021/01/06/pelosi-peters-release-statements-on-d-c-protests/|archive-date=June 4, 2021}}</ref> The day after the attack, Stabenow called for Trump's immediate removal from office through the invocation of the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|25th Amendment]] or [[Second impeachment of Donald Trump|impeachment]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mauger|first1=Craig|last2=Nann Burke|first2=Melissa|date=January 7, 2021|title=All Michigan Democrats in Congress call for Trump's removal|work=[[The Detroit News]]|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/06/michigan-us-reps-kildee-tlaib-call-trumps-removal/6574934002/|url-status=live|access-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125121204/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/06/michigan-us-reps-kildee-tlaib-call-trumps-removal/6574934002/|archive-date=January 25, 2021}}</ref>

===Committee assignments===
*[[United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry|Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry]] (chair)
**As chairperson, Senator Stabenow was an ''ex officio'' member of all subcommittees.
*[[United States Senate Committee on the Budget|Committee on the Budget]]
*[[United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources|Committee on Energy and Natural Resources]]
**[[United States Senate Energy Subcommittee on Energy|Subcommittee on Energy]]
**[[United States Senate Energy Subcommittee on National Parks|Subcommittee on National Parks]]
**[[United States Senate Energy Subcommittee on Water and Power|Subcommittee on Water and Power]]
*[[United States Senate Committee on Finance|Committee on Finance]]
**[[United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care|Subcommittee on Health Care]]
**[[United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness|Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness]]
**[[United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure|Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure]]

===Caucus memberships===
* [[Afterschool Caucuses]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Members |url=http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/policyCongressionalCaucuses.cfm|publisher=Afterschool Alliance |access-date=April 17, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Members|url=http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus|publisher=Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus|access-date=June 15, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142643/http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Congressional Coalition on Adoption]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute|url=https://www.ccainstitute.org|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Rare Disease Caucus]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Rare Disease Congressional Caucus|author=|url=https://everylifefoundation.org/rare-advocates/rarecaucus/rarecaucus-members/|format=|publisher=Every Life Foundation for Rare Diseases|date=|accessdate=21 March 2025}}</ref>

==Political positions==

===Abortion===
Stabenow supports reproductive rights and opposes the criminalization of [[abortion]]. She voted against "abortion trafficking" bills and tying [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|HHS]] grants to a recipient's abortion policies.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=July 13, 2020|title=Debbie Stabenow on Abortion|url=https://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Debbie_Stabenow_Abortion.htm|access-date=December 29, 2020|website=OnTheIssues}}</ref>

===Cannabis legalization===
Stabenow supported [[2018 Michigan Proposal 1|Michigan Proposal 1]] in 2018 to [[Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|legalize cannabis for recreational use]], though she would like to ensure law enforcement is involved so that the law is implemented correctly.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Spangler|first1=Todd|last2=Gray|first2=Kathleen|date=October 15, 2018|title=Stabenow, James debate in Detroit: Fact-checking their claims|work=[[Detroit Free Press]]|url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/10/15/debbie-stabenow-john-james-debate/1649684002/|url-status=live|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730132058/https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/10/15/debbie-stabenow-john-james-debate/1649684002/|archive-date=July 30, 2020}}</ref>

===Food assistance===
In 2013, Greg Kaufmann of ''[[The Nation]]'' wrote an article stating that Stabenow was prepared to cut $8 to $9 billion from the [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]] (SNAP). In a lengthy statement, Stabenow's office rejected these accusations, maintaining that she "strongly opposes any changes to food assistance that make cuts in benefits for people who need help putting food on the table" and that she "has been the number one defender against the House Republican proposal to cut food assistance by $40 billion." Kaufmann doubled down on his charges and challenged Stabenow's office's claims in detail.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Kaufmann|first1=Greg|date=December 6, 2013|title=Why Is a Senate Democrat Agreeing to Another $8 Billion in Food Stamp Cuts?|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/why-senate-democrat-agreeing-another-8-billion-food-stamp-cuts/|url-status=live|magazine=[[The Nation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314185157/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/why-senate-democrat-agreeing-another-8-billion-food-stamp-cuts/|archive-date=March 14, 2021|access-date=January 26, 2018}}</ref>

In 2017, Stabenow fought to prevent the creation of additional work-requirement rules on SNAP recipients who were older or had smaller children and led a bipartisan effort to get the legislation passed.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Finn|first=Teaganne|date=July 13, 2018|title=House Farm Bill SNAP Work Rules Unacceptable, Stabenow Says|publisher=[[Bloomberg Government]]|url=https://about.bgov.com/blog/house-farm-bill-snap-work-rules-unacceptable/|url-status=dead|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923113556/https://about.bgov.com/blog/house-farm-bill-snap-work-rules-unacceptable/|archive-date=September 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Gibbons|first=Lauren|date=October 3, 2018|title=Why Debbie Stabenow has staying power with Michigan farmers|work=[[MLive.com]]|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/10/why_the_michigan_farm_bureau_w.html|url-status=live|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127194854/https://www.mlive.com/news/2018/10/why_the_michigan_farm_bureau_w.html|archive-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
In October 2002, Stabenow was one of 23 senators who voted against [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002|authorization of the use of military force in Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news|date=October 11, 2002|title=Senate Roll Call: Iraq Resolution|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/senaterollcall_iraq101002.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212054317/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/transcripts/senaterollcall_iraq101002.htm|archive-date=February 12, 2021}}</ref>

In April 2019, Stabenow was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to President [[Donald Trump]] encouraging him "to listen to members of your own Administration and reverse a decision that will damage our national security and aggravate conditions inside [[Central America]]", asserting that Trump had "consistently expressed a flawed understanding of U.S. foreign assistance" since becoming president and that he was "personally undermining efforts to promote U.S. national security and economic prosperity" by preventing the use of Fiscal Year 2018 national security funding. The senators argued that foreign assistance to Central American countries created less migration to the U.S. by helping to improve conditions in those countries.<ref>{{cite news|last=Frazin|first=Rachel|date=April 4, 2019|title=More than 30 Senate Dems ask Trump to reconsider Central American aid cuts|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/americas/437463-more-than-30-dem-sens-ask-trump-to-reconsider-cutting-foreign|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416193249/https://thehill.com/policy/international/americas/437463-more-than-30-dem-sens-ask-trump-to-reconsider-cutting-foreign|archive-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref>

===Flint water===
Stabenow secured $100 million to repair and replace the water lines in [[Flint, Michigan]], which were [[Flint water crisis|contaminating the drinking water with lead]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Detroit Free Press Editorial Board|date=October 26, 2018|title=Re-elect Debbie Stabenow to the U.S. Senate|work=[[Detroit Free Press]]|type=opinion|url=https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/10/26/debbie-stabenow-john-james-senate/1578128002/|url-status=live|access-date=October 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310210016/https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/10/26/debbie-stabenow-john-james-senate/1578128002/|archive-date=March 10, 2020}}</ref> She also pushed to include a program that would provide fresh fruits and vegetables to Flint children as part of the [[United States farm bill|Farm Bill]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fonger|first=Ron|date=December 23, 2018|title=Program prescribes fruits and vegetables to Flint kids|work=[[MLive.com]]|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2018/12/program-prescribes-fruits-and-vegetables-to-flint-kids.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126101513/https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2018/12/program-prescribes-fruits-and-vegetables-to-flint-kids.html|archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref>

===Economic issues===
[[File:Kicking off the Jobs of the Future Tour in Dearborn (7752968632).jpg|thumb|Senator Stabenow kicks off her Jobs of the Future Tour at Ford's biobased manufacturing lab in Dearborn.]]
Stabenow received low scores from free-market groups ([[Competitive Enterprise Institute]], 2013, 0%; [[American Conservative Union]], 2016, 0%; [[Americans for Prosperity]], 2015–16, 0%) and high scores from fiscally liberal groups (Progressive Punch, 2015, 92%; [[Network (lobby group)|NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby]], 2012, 91%).<ref>{{cite web|title=Debbie Stabenow's Ratings and Endorsements|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/515/debbie-stabenow|access-date=January 20, 2018|publisher=[[Vote Smart]]}}</ref>

In 2007, Senator Stabenow joined the bipartisan (70-23) support of [[NOPEC]] in order to combat conspiratorial policies by foreign oil producers, extending Sherman Anti-Trust Act protection to include foreign cartels such as OPEC, and bring down US oil and gas costs for US consumers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/amendment/110th-congress/senate-amendment/1519/cosponsors|title=S.Amdt.1519 to S.Amdt.1502 to H.R.6 - 110th Congress (2007-2008) - Cosponsors &#124; Congress.gov &#124; Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-153/issue-94/senate-section/article/S7559-2|title=Congressional Record &#124; Congress.gov &#124; Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1101/vote_110_1_00215.htm|title=U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110th Congress - 1st Session|website=www.senate.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ontheissues.org/SenateVote/Party_2007-215.htm|title=Senate Votes on 2007-215|website=www.ontheissues.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ontheissues.org/international/Debbie_Stabenow_Energy_+_Oil.htm|title=Debbie Stabenow on Energy & Oil|website=www.ontheissues.org}}</ref> In 2008, she voted against the [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]] proposed by President [[George W. Bush]].<ref name=":1">{{cite news|date=July 25, 2012|title=Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/debbie-stabenow-d-mich/gIQA5t8DAP_topic.html#at-a-glance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140205003016/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/debbie-stabenow-d-mich/gIQA5t8DAP_topic.html#at-a-glance|archive-date=February 5, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref>

In 2009, Stabenow voted for President [[Barack Obama]]'s $787 billion [[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009|stimulus]] plan.<ref name=":1" />

In 2010, she introduced the China Fair Trade Act, saying it would "prevent federal taxpayer dollars from being used to purchase Chinese products and services until they sign on to and abide by the [[Agreement on Government Procurement|WTO Agreement on Government Procurement]]." The bill would also require a report on Chinese industrial policies and require the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]] to monitor the development of China's renewable energy sector.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/6.9.10Stabenow.pdf|title=Testimony of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow Before the United States—China Economic and Security Review Commission|website=USCC.gov|publisher=Government Publishing Office |access-date=January 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>National Research Council; Policy and Global Affairs; Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy, 2013. Building the U.S. Battery Industry for Electric Drive Vehicles: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities: Summary of a Symposium. National Academies Press. p. 67. {{ISBN|978-0-309-25452-6}}.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Weisenthal|first1=Joe|date=May 13, 2009|title=Anti-China Trade Bill Coming To Congress Today|work=[[Business Insider]]|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/anti-china-trade-bill-coming-to-congress-today-2009-5|url-status=live|access-date=January 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801170000/https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-china-trade-bill-coming-to-congress-today-2009-5|archive-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=S.3505 - China Fair Trade Act of 2010 |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/3505|website=Congress.gov|date=June 17, 2010|access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>

In October 2011, Stabenow called for tax breaks for firms developing bio-based products, using crops like [[soybeans]] and corn to create prescriptions drugs, plastics, and soaps.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Lindsey|date=October 24, 2011|title=Senator Stabenow wants to expand tax break for bio-manufacturers|publisher=[[Michigan Radio]]|url=https://www.michiganradio.org/post/senator-stabenow-wants-expand-tax-break-bio-manufacturers|url-status=live|access-date=January 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127091943/https://www.michiganradio.org/post/senator-stabenow-wants-expand-tax-break-bio-manufacturers|archive-date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>

In August 2012, Stabenow expressed support for "strategic partnerships between farmers and industry" and for a recent Obama directive to boost federal purchases of bio-based products.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cwiek|first1=Sarah|date=August 6, 2012|title=Vilsack and Stabenow urge investment in "bio-economy," Farm Bill|publisher=[[Michigan Radio]]|url=https://www.michiganradio.org/post/vilsack-and-stabenow-urge-investment-bio-economy-farm-bill|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729042950/https://www.michiganradio.org/post/vilsack-and-stabenow-urge-investment-bio-economy-farm-bill|archive-date=July 29, 2020}}</ref>

In 2015, she introduced the Stabenow-Portman Amendment (SA 1299) to address [[currency manipulation]] in the [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Guida|first1=Victoria|date=May 20, 2015|title=McConnell files cloture on TPA bill — Menendez compromises on trafficking amendment — Lew would recommend veto for currency amendment|work=[[Politico]]|url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-trade/2015/05/mcconnell-files-cloture-on-tpa-bill-menendez-compromises-on-trafficking-amendment-lew-would-recommend-veto-for-currency-amendment-212543|url-status=live|access-date=January 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126000527/https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-trade/2015/05/mcconnell-files-cloture-on-tpa-bill-menendez-compromises-on-trafficking-amendment-lew-would-recommend-veto-for-currency-amendment-212543|archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=US Senate Trade Debate Approaches Critical Vote|url=https://www.ictsd.org/bridges-news/bridges/news/us-senate-trade-debate-approaches-critical-vote|website=Bridges, Vol. 19 - N. 18|publisher=International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development|access-date=January 29, 2018|archive-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201075746/https://www.ictsd.org/bridges-news/bridges/news/us-senate-trade-debate-approaches-critical-vote|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2015, the [[International Economic Development Council]] gave Stabenow the Congressional Leadership Award "for her significant contributions in the area of economic development." The IEDC cited her work on the [[Agricultural Act of 2014|2014 Farm Bill]], her sponsorship in 2013 of the New Skills for New Jobs Act, and her role in the federal bridge loan program."<ref>{{cite web|title=S.1795 - New Skills for New Jobs Act|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/1795|website=Congress.gov |date=December 10, 2013 |access-date=January 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|last1=Way|first1=Erin|title=Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan Receives Leadership Award|url=https://www.iedconline.org/clientuploads/Downloads/PressReleases/IEDC_0330152.pdf|publisher=[[International Economic Development Council]]|access-date=January 30, 2018|date=March 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126181715/https://www.iedconline.org/clientuploads/Downloads/PressReleases/IEDC_0330152.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref>

In 2017, Stabenow introduced her American Jobs Agenda, which included two acts: the Make It In America Act and the [[Bring Jobs Home Act]]. The former, "would close loopholes in a 1933 law designed to give American companies priority when the federal government purchases goods." She said the act would require that the U.S. government: "buy American...If the federal agency says they need a waiver, they need to measure how many American jobs will be impacted by purchasing that product made overseas."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nann Burke|first1=Melissa|date=July 20, 2017|title=Michigan senators want to talk jobs with Trump|work=[[The Detroit News]]|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/20/michigan-senators-jobs/103865276/|url-status=live|access-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801121053/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/20/michigan-senators-jobs/103865276/|archive-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gaertner|first1=Eric|date=March 31, 2017|title=U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow's bill targets foreign purchases by agencies|work=[[MLive.com]]|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2017/03/us_senator_debbie_stabenows_ne.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126101824/https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2017/03/us_senator_debbie_stabenows_ne.html|archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref> The latter, "would create a tax cut for companies bringing jobs and business activities back to America from another country."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Molly|date=April 12, 2017|title=U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow touts plans to bring back U.S. jobs|work=[[MLive.com]]|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2017/04/us_senator_debbie_stabenow_vis.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807203505/https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2017/04/us_senator_debbie_stabenow_vis.html|archive-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Flannery|first1=Mary Ellen|title=A conversation with U.S. Senator and education champion Debbie Stabenow, Michigan|url=http://educationvotes.nea.org/2012/10/03/a-conversation-with-u-s-senator-and-education-champion-debbie-stabenow-michigan/|website=Education Votes|date=October 3, 2012|access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref>

In April 2017, Stabenow was one of eight Democratic senators to sign a letter to Trump noting government-subsidized Chinese steel had been placed into the American market in recent years below cost and had hurt the domestic steel industry and the iron ore industry that fed it, calling on Trump to raise the steel issue with [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]] [[Xi Jinping]] in his meeting with him.<ref>{{cite news|last=Myers|first=John|date=April 6, 2017|title=Klobuchar, Franken among senators asking Trump to press China on steel|work=[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]|url=https://www.twincities.com/2017/04/06/klobuchar-franken-among-senators-asking-trump-to-press-china-on-steel/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227214906/https://www.twincities.com/2017/04/06/klobuchar-franken-among-senators-asking-trump-to-press-china-on-steel/|archive-date=February 27, 2021}}</ref>

In May 2017, she and Senator [[Gary Peters (politician)|Gary Peters]] announced a $210,000 [[Economic Development Administration|EDA]] grant to the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission "to help spur economic development in West Michigan."<ref>{{cite web|title=Peters, Stabenow Announce Funding for Economic Development in West Michigan |url=https://www.muskegon.org/peters-stabenow-announce-funding-for-economic-development-in-west-michigan/|website=Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce|date=May 3, 2017|access-date=January 30, 2018}}</ref> The same month, she said that owing to a major change in farmers' margins since the 2014 Farm Bill, the farm safety net needed to be strengthened, especially for dairy farmers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kiel |first1=Jennifer|title=2nd field hearing on farm bill gets input from farmers in Michigan|url=http://www.michiganfarmer.com/farm-bill/2nd-field-hearing-farm-bill-gets-input-farmers-michigan|website=Michigan Farmer|date=May 11, 2017|access-date=January 30, 2018}}</ref>

At a July 13, 2017, economics [[roundtable]], she said that the "#1 request she gets in Michigan" is for "Professional technical jobs, building construction jobs—folks that can actually make things and do things." She said that Democrats can succeed in elections by "going to our core. We are the party that are willing to take risks to make things better...We believe in our core in an economy that actually works for everybody. That is how you grow America."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Savitsky|first1=Shane|date=July 13, 2017|title=Debbie Stabenow: Trump "sounds like a Democrat"|work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]|url=https://www.axios.com/debbie-stabenow-trump-sounds-like-a-democrat-1513304171-0a4f4199-1f06-4309-8522-2a1e95829d1f.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121190458/https://www.axios.com/debbie-stabenow-trump-sounds-like-a-democrat-1513304171-0a4f4199-1f06-4309-8522-2a1e95829d1f.html|archive-date=January 21, 2021}}</ref>

The [[Biotechnology Industry Organization]] thanked Stabenow in 2017 for supporting development of a "biobased economy," specifically for her introduction of the Renewable Chemicals Act of 2017, which would "allow taxpayers to claim a production tax credit of 15 cents per pound of biobased content of each renewable chemical produced during the taxable year."<ref>{{cite web|title=BIO Applauds Senator Stabenow's Proposed Legislation Supporting Creation of a Biobased Economy|url=https://www.bio.org/media/press-release/bio-applauds-senator-stabenow%E2%80%99s-proposed-legislation-supporting-creation-biobase|website=Biotechnology Innovation Organization |access-date=February 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Voegele|first1=Erin|title=Bill aims to provide tax credits for biobased chemical production|url=http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/14777/bill-aims-to-provide-tax-credits-for-biobased-chemical-production |website=Biomass Magazine|access-date=February 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Voegele|first1=Erin|title=USDA publishes rule for revamped Biorefinery Assistance Program|url=http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/12104/usda-publishes-rule-for-revamped-biorefinery-assistance-program|website=Biomass Magazine|access-date=February 1, 2018}}</ref>

On October 3, 2017, Stabenow and Peters introduced the Small Business Access to Capital Act, designed to "reauthorize and improve the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to help small businesses grow and create jobs." It built "on the successful SSBCI initiative that both lawmakers championed in the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010" and that "funds the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and other state-led lending programs that leverage private financing to help small businesses access the capital they need."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Margowsky|first1=Miranda|last2=Green|first2=Allison|title=Senators Stabenow, Peters Introduce Small Business Access to Capital Act|url=http://business.mt-pleasant.net/news/details/senators-stabenow-peters-introduce-small-business-access-to-capital-act|publisher=Mt Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-date=February 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203064203/http://business.mt-pleasant.net/news/details/senators-stabenow-peters-introduce-small-business-access-to-capital-act|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Greene|first1=Jay|date=June 30, 2017|title=Michigan providers, business take negative positions on health care bills|work=[[Crain's Detroit Business]]|url=https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20170630/blog010/632931/michigan-providers-business-take-negative-positions-health-care|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910063223/https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20170630/blog010/632931/michigan-providers-business-take-negative-positions-health-care|archive-date=September 10, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Jake|date=October 3, 2017|title=Stabenow, Peters introduce small business legislation|work=[[The Holland Sentinel]]|url=https://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/20171003/stabenow-peters-introduce-small-business-legislation|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126022233/https://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/20171003/stabenow-peters-introduce-small-business-legislation|archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Abdel-Razzaq|first1=Lauren|date=July 31, 2015|title=U.S. Sens. sponsor bill to boost small business lending|work=[[The Detroit News]]|url=http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/31/senators-small-business-lending/30938361/|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801133048/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/31/senators-small-business-lending/30938361/|archive-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref>

===Immigration===
Stabenow received high marks from groups supporting immigration ([[American Immigration Lawyers Association]], 2013–14, 100%; [[National Hispanic Leadership Agenda]], 2013–14, 100%) and low marks from groups opposed to immigration: [[Federation for American Immigration Reform]], 2014, 0%; [[Numbers USA]], 2017, 0%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Debbie Stabenow's Ratings and Endorsements on Issue: Immigration|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/515/debbie-stabenow/40 |publisher=[[Vote Smart]]|access-date=February 1, 2018}}</ref>

During the two-day [[United States federal government shutdown of January 2018|January 2018 government shutdown]], Stabenow was among 81 senators who effectively ended the shutdown by approving a three-week stopgap spending bill that "included reauthorizing the [[Children's Health Insurance Program]] for six years". This agreement was obtained after the Republican leadership "pledged to soon take up immigration legislation". She said they had "reached a bipartisan agreement that funds children's health insurance and moves us closer to a solution that provides long-term certainty for Michigan families and our national defense".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nann Burke|first1=Melissa|date=January 22, 2018|title=Michigan senators, most reps vote to reopen government|work=[[The Detroit News]]|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/22/michigan-senators-government-shutdown-funding/109718032/|url-status=live|access-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801104840/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/22/michigan-senators-government-shutdown-funding/109718032/|archive-date=August 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Kim|first1=Seung Min|author-link=Seung Min Kim|last2=Everett|first2=Burgess|last3=Schor|first3=Elana|date=January 22, 2018|title=Congress votes to end shutdown|work=[[Politico]]|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/22/government-shutdown-2018-senate-vote-354966|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314171140/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/22/government-shutdown-2018-senate-vote-354966|archive-date=March 14, 2021}}</ref>

In January 2017, she opposed [[Executive Order 13769|Trump's executive order]] temporarily limiting immigration from several Muslim majority countries, saying it: "is ruining America's reputation in the world, undermining our relationships with our most critical allies, and most heartbreakingly, destroying the lives of good and law-abiding people."<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/news/senator-stabenows-statement-on-president-trumps-executive-order-on-immigration|title=Senator Stabenow's Statement on President Trump's Executive Order on Immigration|access-date=February 2, 2018|last1=Stabenow|first1=Debbie|date=January 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Gibbons|first=Lauren|date=January 30, 2017|title=Michigan's Congressional delegation reacts to Trump immigration order|work=[[MLive.com]]|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/2017/01/michigans_congressional_delega.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126101348/https://www.mlive.com/news/2017/01/michigans_congressional_delega.html|archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Brush|first1=Mark|date=January 31, 2017|title=What do your representatives think of President Trump's immigration ban?|publisher=[[Michigan Radio]]|url=https://www.michiganradio.org/post/what-do-your-representatives-think-president-trumps-immigration-ban|url-status=live|access-date=February 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226134446/https://www.michiganradio.org/post/what-do-your-representatives-think-president-trumps-immigration-ban|archive-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref>

Stabenow voted against providing [[COVID-19 pandemic]] financial support to undocumented immigrants on February 4, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress - 1st Session |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=117&session=1&vote=00018 |website=senate.gov |publisher=U.S. Senate |access-date=February 5, 2021}}</ref>

===International relations===
Stabenow supported Obama's [[Iran deal]] that sought to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons for 10 years and attempted to halt their uranium production.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Burgess|first1=Everett|date=August 24, 2015|title=Stabenow joins parade of Democrats for Iran deal|work=[[Politico]]|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/iran-deal-debbie-stabenow-supports-121662|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510141411/https://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/iran-deal-debbie-stabenow-supports-121662|archive-date=May 10, 2021}}</ref>

===Income inequality===
Recounting a 2014 Senate hearing on [[income inequality]], [[George Packer]] singled out Stabenow as the only committee member who pushed back on the idea that it was caused largely by the withdrawal from the workforce of middle-aged people who preferred to collect welfare. Stabenow "pointed out that almost all the voters she heard from in high-unemployment Michigan still wanted to work."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Packer|first1=George|author-link=George Packer|date=March 25, 2014|title=The Right's New "Welfare Queens": The Middle Class|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-rights-new-welfare-queens-the-middle-class|url-status=live|access-date=February 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124233451/https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-rights-new-welfare-queens-the-middle-class|archive-date=November 24, 2020}}</ref>

===Government spending===
She received low scores from low-spending advocates ([[Club for Growth]], 2016, 8%; [[Citizens Against Government Waste|Council for Citizens against Government Waste]], 2015, 0%; [[National Taxpayers Union]], 2015, 9%).<ref>{{cite web|title=Debbie Stabenow's Ratings and Endorsements|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/515/debbie-stabenow|publisher=[[Vote Smart]]|access-date=February 3, 2018}}</ref>

===Education===
[[File:Senator Stabenow meets with students from the Ross school of business. (26660919510).jpg|thumb|Stabenow meeting with students from the [[Ross School of Business]] in 2016]]
In 2011, Stabenow introduced the Reengaging Americans in Serious Education Act (RAISE UP Act), whereby the [[United States Department of Labor|Labor Department]] would fund programs to help "disconnected youth" get diplomas, degrees, and job certifications. In 2012, she co-sponsored a bill to freeze [[student loan]] interest rates at 3.4 percent and make additional funds available for [[Pell Grants]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Flannery|first1=Mary Ellen|title=A conversation with U.S. Senator and education champion Debbie Stabenow, Michigan|url=http://educationvotes.nea.org/2012/10/03/a-conversation-with-u-s-senator-and-education-champion-debbie-stabenow-michigan/ |website=Education Votes|date=October 3, 2012|access-date=February 4, 2018}}</ref>

In 2016, Stabenow and others introduced the Reducing Educational Debt Act, which she promoted with the #InTheRed [[hashtag]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Murray|first1=Lydia|date=February 17, 2016|title=Stabenow discusses new student loan campaign in campus visit|work=[[The Michigan Daily]]|url=https://www.michigandaily.com/section/news/stabenow-talks-students-about-debt|access-date=February 5, 2018|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160219092312/https://www.michigandaily.com/section/news/stabenow-talks-students-about-debt|archive-date=February 19, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Douglas-Gabriel|first1=Danielle|date=January 21, 2016|title=Senate Democrats launch campaign to reduce student debt|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/01/21/senate-democrats-launch-campaign-to-reduce-student-debt/|url-status=live|access-date=February 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214204746/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/01/21/senate-democrats-launch-campaign-to-reduce-student-debt/|archive-date=December 14, 2016}}</ref>

She expressed "strong concerns" about Trump's nomination of [[Betsy DeVos]] as [[United States Secretary of Education|Education Secretary]], saying: "DeVos and her family have a long record of pushing policies that I believe have seriously undermined [[public education]] in Michigan and failed our children."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Zavala-Offman|first1=Alysa|date=January 6, 2017|title=Sen. Debbie Stabenow says 'Nope!' to Betsy DeVos cabinet appointment|work=[[Detroit Metro Times]]|url=https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2017/01/06/sen-debbie-stabenow-says-nope-to-naming-betsy-devos-to-trumps-cabinet|url-status=live|access-date=February 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226053007/https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2017/01/06/sen-debbie-stabenow-says-nope-to-naming-betsy-devos-to-trumps-cabinet|archive-date=February 26, 2021}}</ref>

===Gun policy===
Stabenow supports [[gun control]] and supports a national assault weapons ban.<ref name="weaponsban">{{cite web |title=Sen. Stabenow on potential gun restrictions: 'This agreement is going to save lives' |date=June 16, 2022 |url=https://wdet.org/2022/06/16/sen-stabenow-on-potential-gun-restrictions-this-agreement-is-going-to-save-lives/ |access-date=16 June 2022 |ref=35 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220616211318/https://wdet.org/2022/06/16/sen-stabenow-on-potential-gun-restrictions-this-agreement-is-going-to-save-lives |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
After the [[Orlando nightclub shooting]], Stabenow participated in the [[Chris Murphy gun control filibuster]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Foran|first=Clare|date=June 22, 2016|title=The Democratic Gun Control Sit-In on the House Floor|work=[[The Atlantic]]|type=live blog|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/liveblogs/2016/06/house-democrats-gun-control-sit-in/488264/|url-status=live|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216193644/https://www.theatlantic.com/liveblogs/2016/06/house-democrats-gun-control-sit-in/488264/|archive-date=February 16, 2021|quote=Debbie Stabenow and Ron Wyden are two of the Democratic senators who made the trek over to the other side of the Capitol to show support for the sit-in.}}</ref> One month later, she supported bills to ban people on the [[Terrorist Screening Database|terrorist watchlist]] from buying guns and to expand background checks. Neither bill passed the Senate. Stabenow blamed the [[National Rifle Association of America]] (NRA) for the bills' failure to pass.<ref>{{cite news|date=June 21, 2016|title=Stabenow Disappointed By Senate Debate On Gun Control|publisher=[[WSJM-FM]]|url=https://www.wsjm.com/2016/06/21/stabenow-disappointed-by-senate-debate-on-gun-control/|url-status=live|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121123732/https://www.wsjm.com/2016/06/21/stabenow-disappointed-by-senate-debate-on-gun-control/|archive-date=January 21, 2021}}</ref>

In 2017, following the [[2017 Las Vegas shooting|Las Vegas shooting]], Stabenow and [[Debbie Dingell]] introduced a law that would make it illegal for people convicted of misdemeanor [[stalking]] to buy guns.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Zornick|first1=George|date=September 22, 2017|title=A New Study Debunks the NRA's Claim That Guns Protect Women|work=[[The Nation]]|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/a-new-study-debunks-the-nras-claim-that-guns-protect-women/|url-status=live|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605124240/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/a-new-study-debunks-the-nras-claim-that-guns-protect-women/|archive-date=June 5, 2020}}</ref>

Stabenow has an "A+" rating from the [[Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence]] and an "F" rating from both the NRA and the [[Gun Owners of America]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Voter's Self Defense System |url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/515/debbie-stabenow?categoryId=37#.WdViSxNSxE4|publisher=[[Vote Smart]]|access-date=October 4, 2017}}</ref>

===Health care===
Stabenow had helped open 10 community health centers in Detroit while in office.<ref name=":0" />

She received high scores from [[Planned Parenthood]] (2017, 100%) and low scores from [[National Right to Life Committee]], (2013, 0%).<ref>{{cite web|title=Debbie Stabenow's Ratings and Endorsements|url=https://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/515/debbie-stabenow|publisher=[[Vote Smart]]|access-date=February 5, 2018}}</ref>

In the [[2000 United States Senate election in Michigan|2000 campaign]], she: "promised to make the [[pharmaceutical industry]] lower prescription drug prices, to maintain [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] benefits and to give [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] a new prescription drug plan." She pledged to "fight the pharmaceutical and insurance industries—the two industries that spend the most money [[lobbying]] federal officials" and accused the pharmaceutical industry of "making up to 20 percent net profit each year...on the backs of families, seniors and businesses." Her spokesperson said: "In the last election, I think the pharmaceutical industry spent more campaigning against her than any other candidate...She was enemy number one."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schmidt|first1=Patti|title=Senator Debbie Stabenow - Driving Issues That Matter |url=https://www.roadandtravel.com/celebrities/debbiestabenow.htm|website=Road & Travel Magazine|access-date=February 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Cohen|first=Andrew I.|title=Innovation and the Pharmaceutical Industry: Critical Reflections on the Virtues of Profit|publisher=M&M Scrivener Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-9802094-7-1|editor-last=Engelhardt|editor-first=Hugo Tristram Jr. |editor-link=H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr.|series=Conflicts and Trends: Studies in Values and Policies|location=Salem, MA|pages=95|chapter=Pharmaceutical Advertising and Patient Autonomy|lccn=2008010541|editor-last2=Garrett|editor-first2=Jeremy R.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Malcolm|first1=Ellen R.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2YpCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA246|title=When Women Win: EMILY's List and the Rise of Women in American Politics|last2=Unger|first2=Craig|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=2016|isbn=978-0-544-44331-0|location=Boston, MA|pages=246|lccn=2015037242|author-link=Ellen Malcolm|author-link2=Craig Unger}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Shore|first=David A.|title=The Trust Prescription for Healthcare: Building Your Reputation with Consumers|publisher=Health Administration Press|year=2005|isbn=978-1-56793-240-9|location=Chicago, IL|pages=33|lccn=2004060659}}</ref> Stabenow voted for the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]] in December 2009,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00396 |title=On Passage of the Bill H.R. 3590 (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) |publisher=Senate.gov |date=December 24, 2009 |access-date=February 20, 2012}}</ref> and for the [[Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00105 |title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote |publisher=Senate.gov |access-date=August 29, 2010}}</ref> She also sponsored S. 2257, the Excellence in Mental Health Act.<ref name="Member 2013 Excellence in Mental Health">{{cite web | last=Member | first=Any House | title=113th Congress (2013-2014): Excellence in Mental Health Act | website=Congress.gov | date=2013-02-07 |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/264 | access-date=2024-02-27}}</ref>

On September 1, 2016, she said that approving money to combat [[Zika]] was a top congressional priority.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barrón-López|first1=Laura|date=September 1, 2016|title=Senate Democrats Want A Clean Slate For The Next President|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/senate-democrats-government-funding_us_57c8a2d9e4b0e60d31de5e00|url-status=live|access-date=February 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106101340/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/senate-democrats-government-funding_us_57c8a2d9e4b0e60d31de5e00|archive-date=November 6, 2017}}</ref>

In August 2019, Stabenow was one of 19 senators to sign a letter to [[United States Secretary of the Treasury]] [[Steve Mnuchin]] and [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services]] [[Alex Azar]] requesting data from the Trump administration in order to help states and Congress understand the potential consequences in the event that the Texas v. United States Affordable Care Act (ACA) lawsuit prevailed in courts, writing that an overhaul of the present health care system would form "an enormous hole in the pocketbooks of the people we serve as well as wreck state budgets".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/u-s-senator-tammy-baldwin-requests-data-from-trump-administration-on-consequences-of-texas-v-united-states-prevailing/|title=U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Requests Data from Trump Administration on Consequences of Texas V. United States Prevailing|date=August 1, 2019|publisher=Urban Milwaukee}}</ref>

===Housing===
In April 2019, Stabenow was one of 41 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to the housing subcommittee praising the [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's]] Section 4 Capacity Building program as authorizing "HUD to partner with national nonprofit community development organizations to provide education, training, and financial support to local community development corporations (CDCs) across the country" and expressing disappointment that Trump's budget "has slated this program for elimination after decades of successful economic and community development." The senators wrote of their hope that the subcommittee would support continued funding for Section 4 in Fiscal Year 2020.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 16, 2019|title=Wyden, Merkley urge more affordable housing funds|publisher=[[KTVZ]]|url=https://www.ktvz.com/news/wyden-merkley-urge-more-affordable-housing-funds/1069680950|url-status=dead|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418125917/https://www.ktvz.com/news/wyden-merkley-urge-more-affordable-housing-funds/1069680950|archive-date=April 18, 2019}}</ref>

===Defense===
In December 2011, Stabenow voted in favor of the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=1&vote=00218 |title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes >|publisher=Senate.gov |access-date=December 28, 2011}}</ref> The bill included highly controversial provisions, drafted by Senators [[Carl Levin]] and [[John McCain]] in closed session, that would allow for the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens deemed potential terrorists and enemies of the state.<ref>United States Congress. Senate Committee on Armed Services, 2011. Legislative Calendar. U.S. Government Printing Office.</ref>

===Environment===

====Climate change====
On August 10, 2009, Stabenow was reported by ''[[The Detroit News]]'' as saying, "Global warming creates volatility. I feel it when I'm flying. The storms are more volatile. We are paying the price in more hurricanes and tornadoes."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://community.detnews.com/apps/blogs/henrypayneblog/index.php?blogid=2041 |title=DETNEWS &#124; Weblogs &#124; Henry Payne's Sketchbook |publisher=Community.detnews.com |date=August 11, 2009 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090813212505/http://community.detnews.com/apps/blogs/henrypayneblog/index.php?blogid=2041 |archive-date=August 13, 2009 }}</ref> She has, however, opposed regulation of greenhouse gases, enhanced fuel efficiency standards in California, and greenhouse gas emission reporting standards.<ref name=":3" />

Stabenow voted for the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2011 (S.493). In March 2011, ''[[ThinkProgress]]'' accused her of joining "the pro-polluter frenzy sweeping the U.S. Senate," saying that the legislation was: "being used as a vehicle for senators who wish to prevent regulation of greenhouse pollution from oil refineries, coal-fired power plants, heavy industry, and other major emitters. Stabenow has added her amendment to three others intended to hamstring the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of carbon polluters."<ref name=":3">{{cite web|date=March 31, 2011|title=Sen. Stabenow joins the climate action delayers|url=http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/03/31/207804/sen-stabenow-joins-the-climate-action-delayers/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026142421/http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/03/31/207804/sen-stabenow-joins-the-climate-action-delayers/?mobile=nc|archive-date=October 26, 2013|access-date=February 21, 2012|work=[[ThinkProgress]]}}</ref>

Stabenow's proposed amendment to keep the EPA from regulating [[greenhouse gas emissions]] for two years also drew criticism.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brush|first=Mark|date=March 31, 2011|title=Michigan Senator Stabenow seeks to delay EPA action on greenhouse gases|publisher=[[Michigan Radio]]|url=https://www.michiganradio.org/post/michigan-senator-stabenow-seeks-delay-epa-action-greenhouse-gases|url-status=live|access-date=October 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505205855/https://www.michiganradio.org/post/michigan-senator-stabenow-seeks-delay-epa-action-greenhouse-gases|archive-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> The amendment would have given “coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and other industrial sources a two year exemption” from rules requiring them to report greenhouse gas emissions.<ref>{{cite news|date=March 30, 2011|title=Debbie Stabenow amendment would block EPA climate regulations|work=[[Washington Independent]]|url=http://washingtonindependent.com/107230/debbie-stabenow-amendment-would-block-epa-climate-regulations|url-status=dead|access-date=October 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514115433/http://washingtonindependent.com/107230/debbie-stabenow-amendment-would-block-epa-climate-regulations|archive-date=May 14, 2013}}</ref> She defended her position by calling her amendment: "a common-sense approach that allows protections from carbon pollution, determined by scientists and public health experts, to continue being developed while providing businesses the support and incentives they need as they reduce pollution, generate new clean energy technologies and create jobs."<ref>{{cite news|last=Nixon|first=Alex|date=March 31, 2011|title=Sen. Debbie Stabenow wants two-year delay on carbon dioxide limits|work=[[MLive.com]]|url=https://www.mlive.com/environment/2011/03/sen_debbie_stabenow_wants_two-.html|url-status=live|access-date=October 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922014829/https://www.mlive.com/environment/2011/03/sen_debbie_stabenow_wants_two-.html|archive-date=September 22, 2020}}</ref>

In February 2019, in response to reports of the EPA intending to decide against setting drinking water limits for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and [[perfluorooctanoic acid]] (PFOA) as part of an upcoming national strategy to manage the chemicals, Stabenow was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Acting EPA Administrator [[Andrew R. Wheeler]] calling on the agency: "to develop enforceable federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, as well as institute immediate actions to protect the public from contamination from additional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)."<ref>{{cite news|last=Cama|first=Timothy|date=February 1, 2019|title=Senators call on EPA to restrict key drinking water contaminants|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/428102-senators-call-on-epa-to-restrict-key-drinking-water-contaminants|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225232823/https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/428102-senators-call-on-epa-to-restrict-key-drinking-water-contaminants|archive-date=February 25, 2021}}</ref>

====Drilling in the Great Lakes====
In 2010, Stabenow called for a total ban on drilling in the Great Lakes. Critics noted that "a U.S. federal ban on all oil and natural gas [[offshore drilling]] in the Great Lakes" had already "been in place since 2005" and that Canada banned offshore oil drilling but had "roughly 500 offshore gas wells in Lake Erie" plus 23 "slant wells" that "drill for oil on shore but extend under Lake Erie."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hochandel|first1=Dave|title=In light of Gulf oil spill, stronger Great Lakes drilling bans proposed |url=http://www.lakescientist.com/in-light-of-gulf-oil-spill-stronger-great-lakes-drilling-bans-proposed/|website=Lake Scientist |access-date=February 6, 2018|date=June 21, 2010}}</ref> In 2015, Stabenow and Gary Peters introduced the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act "to ban shipping of crude oil by vessel on the Great Lakes and require a comprehensive, top-to-bottom review of hazardous pipelines in the region."<ref>{{cite press release|title=Stabenow, Peters Introduce Bill to Protect Great Lakes From Oil Spills, Improve Pipeline Safety |url=https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/news/stabenow-peters-introduce-bill-to-protect-great-lakes-from-oil-spills-improve-pipeline-safety|website=stabenow.senate.gov|access-date=February 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Matheny|first1=Keith|date=September 24, 2015|title=A readiness test: What if oil spewed into Great Lakes?|work=[[Detroit Free Press]]|url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/09/24/enbridge-line5-oil-pipeline-straits-mackinac-spill-great-lakes/72582654/|url-status=live|access-date=February 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128110847/https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/09/24/enbridge-line5-oil-pipeline-straits-mackinac-spill-great-lakes/72582654/|archive-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref>

In May 2017, Stabenow expressed support for the bipartisan effort to retain funding for The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Theut|first1=Kaela|date=May 1, 2017|title=National bipartisan effort restores funding to Great Lakes cleanup|work=[[The Michigan Daily]]|url=https://www.michigandaily.com/campus-life/bi-partisan-spending-plan-will-continue-fund-great-lakes-cleanup-initiative/|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123145915/https://www.michigandaily.com/section/campus-life/bi-partisan-spending-plan-will-continue-fund-great-lakes-cleanup-initiative|archive-date=January 23, 2021}}</ref>

In September 2016, Stabenow and Peters led an effort to link an aid package for the [[Flint water crisis]] to flood relief funds for [[Louisiana]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Snell|first1=Kelsey|date=September 21, 2016|title=Democrats see stopgap spending bill as best chance to get funding for Flint water crisis|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/09/21/democrats-see-stop-gap-spending-bill-as-best-chance-to-get-funding-for-flint-water-crisis/|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924003207/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/09/21/democrats-see-stop-gap-spending-bill-as-best-chance-to-get-funding-for-flint-water-crisis/|archive-date=September 24, 2016}}</ref>

====Canadian waste disposal====
On August 31, 2006, Stabenow, Senator [[Carl Levin]] and Representative [[John Dingell]] announced an agreement that would completely cease [[Ontario]]'s dumping of solid waste in Michigan within four years. This had been an issue in Michigan for the past several years. Stabenow had previously introduced legislation in the Senate intended to reduce the dumping of Canadian trash in Michigan.<ref>http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=5350340 {{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> In July 2006, the Senate unanimously passed a law sponsored by Stabenow requiring the payment of a $420 inspection fee for every truckload of Canadian trash brought into Michigan.<ref>[http://www.stabenowforsenate.com/files/press/Trash-8-1-06.pdf "Stabenow Rallies Public In Fight Against Canadian Trash"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122020124/http://www.stabenowforsenate.com/files/press/Trash-8-1-06.pdf |date=November 22, 2008 }}, Stabenow for Senate Press Releases, August 1, 2006.</ref>

===Fairness doctrine===
Asked in 2009 by [[Bill Press]] whether she would support a return of the [[Fairness Doctrine]], under which the federal government enforced an ideological "balance" on the airwaves, Stabenow said yes: "I absolutely think it's time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves." Asked whether she would push for Senate hearings on the subject, she said, "I have already had some discussions with colleagues and, you know, I feel like that's gonna happen. Yep." It has been noted that Stabenow's then husband was [[Tom Athans]], an executive in left-wing radio ([[Air America (radio network)|Air America]], [[Democracy Radio]]), whose career would have benefited from such legislation.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Calderone|first1=Michael|date=February 5, 2009|title=Sen. Stabenow wants hearings on radio 'accountability'; talks fairness doctrine|work=[[Politico]]|url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0209/Sen_Stabenow_wants_hearings_on_radio_accountability_talks_fairness_doctrine.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113053507/http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0209/Sen_Stabenow_wants_hearings_on_radio_accountability_talks_fairness_doctrine.html|archive-date=January 13, 2012}}</ref>

Stabenow is probably the most prominent politician to seriously support a new Fairness Doctrine.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Aaron|first1=Craig|date=February 13, 2009|title=The Fairness Doctrine: Just Say No|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-fairness-doctrine-jus_b_166767|url-status=live|access-date=February 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503020143/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-aaron/the-fairness-doctrine-jus_b_166767.html|archive-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155201977/bctid10237007001 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090210210641/http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155201977/bctid10237007001 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |title=Politico.Com: Videos |publisher=Link.brightcove.com |access-date=August 29, 2010 }}</ref>

===GMOs===
Stabenow, as [[Senate Agriculture Committee]] Chair, added an amendment to the [[Agricultural Act of 2014|2013–14 Farm Bill]] that prohibited state laws requiring [[GMO labeling]] for foods. She has been criticized because this amendment aided [[Monsanto]] and other agribusinesses, which donated over three-quarters of a million dollars to her campaign during that election cycle.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Strom|first1=Stephanie|date=July 7, 2016|title=G.M.O. Labeling Bill Clears First Hurdle in Senate|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/07/business/gmo-labeling-bill-passes-first-hurdle-in-senate.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited|access-date=February 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120201916/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/07/business/gmo-labeling-bill-passes-first-hurdle-in-senate.html|archive-date=January 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Philpott|first1=Tom|date=June 27, 2016|title=Congress Just Passed a Bill to Nix GMO Labeling|work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]|url=https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/06/senate-deal-would-crush-vermonts-gmo-labeling-law/|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809084437/https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/06/senate-deal-would-crush-vermonts-gmo-labeling-law/|archive-date=August 9, 2020}}</ref> In 2016, she was again criticized for her role in the passage of a law that overruled state laws mandating GMO labeling.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bronner|first1=David|date=August 3, 2016|title=On The Organic Trade Association's Betrayal Of The Movement For Mandatory GMO Labeling|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/on-the-organic-trade-association_b_11306156|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526225907/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-bronner/on-the-organic-trade-association_b_11306156.html|archive-date=May 26, 2017}}</ref>

===Trump nominations===
In January 2017, Stabenow opposed Trump's nomination of [[Jeff Sessions]] as [[Attorney General|AG]]: "Because of his record on [[civil rights]] and his votes against anti-[[domestic violence]] legislation, I cannot support him to be our nation's highest law enforcement officer...Families in Michigan and across the country deserve an attorney general who will enforce the nation's laws fairly and equally."<ref>{{cite news|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Seth|date=January 19, 2017|title=Sen. Stabenow opposes Jeff Sessions' nomination as attorney general|work=[[The Washington Times]]|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/19/debbie-stabenow-opposes-jeff-sessions-nomination/|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117042738/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/19/debbie-stabenow-opposes-jeff-sessions-nomination/|archive-date=January 17, 2021}}</ref>

That March, she opposed Trump's nomination of [[Neil Gorsuch]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]: "After reviewing Judge Gorsuch's rulings, it is clear that he has a long record of siding with special interests and institutions instead of hard-working Americans. And, therefore, in my judgment, he does not meet this standard of balance and impartiality."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nann Burke|first1=Melissa|date=March 28, 2017|title=Stabenow, Peters oppose Gorsuch for high court|work=[[The Detroit News]]|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/28/stabenow-gorsuch/99724988/|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805160735/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/28/stabenow-gorsuch/99724988/|archive-date=August 5, 2020}}</ref>

In July 2018, citing his past rulings on presidential powers, she opposed [[Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination|the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh]], furthermore stating that the FBI should perform a background check regarding [[Brett Kavanaugh#Sexual assault allegations|multiple allegations of sexual assault]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Eggert|first=David|date=July 13, 2018|title=Stabenow, Peters oppose Trump's high court nominee Kavanaugh|work=[[Associated Press]]|url=https://apnews.com/article/a21e75f95ea94ccd98bc12ccce48485d|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605213511/https://apnews.com/article/a21e75f95ea94ccd98bc12ccce48485d|archive-date=June 5, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Samilton|first=Tracy|date=September 19, 2018|title=Sen. Debbie Stabenow wants FBI investigation of allegations against Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh|publisher=[[Michigan Radio]]|url=https://www.michiganradio.org/post/sen-debbie-stabenow-wants-fbi-investigation-allegations-against-supreme-court-nominee-kavanaugh|url-status=live|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228013931/https://www.michiganradio.org/post/sen-debbie-stabenow-wants-fbi-investigation-allegations-against-supreme-court-nominee-kavanaugh|archive-date=February 28, 2021}}</ref>

She similarly opposed Trump's 2020 [[Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nomination|nomination of Amy Coney Barrett]], stating: "It's very clear from her writings, multiple writings, that she will be the vote that takes away health care for millions of Americans, including 130 million people and counting with pre-existing conditions..."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Budryk|first=Zack|date=September 27, 2020|title=Stabenow congratulates Coney Barrett, says she'll vote against her over health care|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/518474-senate-democrat-barrett-would-be-the-vote-that-takes-away-health|url-status=live|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119131825/https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/518474-senate-democrat-barrett-would-be-the-vote-that-takes-away-health|archive-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref> She voted against the nomination while wearing a [[Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic|face mask]] depicting Barrett's predecessor [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mastrangelo|first=Dominick|date=October 25, 2020|title=Democratic senator votes against advancing Amy Coney Barrett nomination while wearing RBG mask|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/522678-dem-senator-votes-against-advancing-amy-coney-barrett-confirmation-while-wearing-rbg|url-status=live|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225115208/https://thehill.com/homenews/522678-dem-senator-votes-against-advancing-amy-coney-barrett-confirmation-while-wearing-rbg|archive-date=February 25, 2021}}</ref>

===Retirement===
On January 5, 2023, Stabenow announced her intention to retire from the Senate. Her announcement cited a desire to "pass the torch" to Michigan's next generation of leadership: "I have always believed it's not enough to be the first unless there is a second and a third". She also noted time with family as a motivation for her retirement. The end of Stabenow's term in the Senate marked 50 years of her holding elected office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/news/senator-stabenow-announces-she-will-not-seek-re-election-in-2024#:~:text=WASHINGTON%E2%80%94Senator%20Stabenow%20released%20the,torch%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Senate. | title=Senator Stabenow Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2024 &#124; U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan | date=July 14, 2023 }}</ref> In February 2023, Michigan Representative [[Elissa Slotkin]] launched a campaign to succeed Stabenow in the Senate, and Slotkin went on to win the general election in November 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/27/elissa-slotkin-senate-michigan-00084519 | title=Elissa Slotkin announces Senate run | website=[[Politico]] | date=February 27, 2023 }}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
In February 2023, a portrait of Stabenow by Michigan artist Joshua Adam Risner was unveiled in the [[Russell Senate Office Building]]. Congressional committee chairs traditionally receive portraits in their committee rooms. Stabenow's portrait came due to her years as chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/02/18/insider-stabenow-portrait-unveiled-on-capitol-hill/69912343007/|title=Insider: Stabenow portrait unveiled on Capitol Hill|date=February 18, 2023|url-access=subscription|website=The Detroit News}}</ref> It was commissioned by the [[Historical Society of Michigan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joshuaadamart.com/portrait | title=Joshua Adam Risner - Artist and Portrait Painter }}</ref>

On October 3, 2024, Washington Park in [[Lansing, Michigan]] was renamed Debbie Stabenow Park in her honor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2024/10/03/debbie-stabenow-lansing-park-renaming-washington/75502946007/|title=Lansing honors Sen. Debbie Stabenow by renaming WW II-era park in her name|first=Lansing State Journal|last=staff|website=Lansing State Journal}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Stabenow is a member of the [[United Methodist Church]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=31 United Methodists serve in 117th Congress|url=https://www.umnews.org/en/news/31-united-methodists-serve-in-117th-congress|access-date=2021-07-27|website=United Methodist News Service|language=en}}</ref>

Stabenow was first married to Dennis Stabenow.  The couple had two children and divorced in 1990.

In 2003, Stabenow married [[Tom Athans]], co-founder of [[Democracy Radio]] and former executive vice president of [[Air America Radio|Air America]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=April 3, 2008 |title=Stabenow's husband admits paying for sex |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23925758 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808203634/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23925758/ns/politics/t/stabenows-husband-admits-paying-sex/ |archive-date=August 8, 2018 |access-date=August 12, 2020 |publisher=[[NBC News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> She has a stepdaughter from this marriage. They divorced in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|date=December 5, 2010|title=Debbie Stabenow divorced from husband caught with hooker|work=[[MLive.com]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/2010/12/debbie_stabenow_divorced_from.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126100857/https://www.mlive.com/news/2010/12/debbie_stabenow_divorced_from.html|archive-date=January 26, 2021}}</ref>

Stabenow had a cameo appearance in the 2016 film ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'' as governor of the unspecified state in which [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]] is located. She was invited to appear because the scene was filmed in Michigan, and for her support for film-industry incentives.<ref>{{Cite news|title=How two senators scored cameos in 'Batman v Superman'|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2016/03/24/how-two-senators-scored-cameos-in-batman-v-superman/|access-date=2021-07-27|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hinds|first=Julie|title='Batman v Superman' has a Michigan cast of thousands|url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/movies/julie-hinds/2016/03/24/batman-v-superman-cast-extras-michigan-ben-affleck-henry-cavill-gal-gadot/82090074/|access-date=2021-07-27|website=Detroit Free Press|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2024, Stabenow declined to run for a fifth Senate term, citing a wish to spend more time with her family,<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXWIWVFK4iU |title=Sen. Debbie Stabenow will not run for reelection in 2024, has no plans for another office |date=2023-01-05 |people=FOX 2 Detroit |access-date=2024-11-07 |via=YouTube}}</ref> including her 96-year-old mother.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schuster |first=Simon |date=2023-01-06 |title=U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow aims to finish strong in her final term |url=https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/01/us-sen-debbie-stabenow-aims-to-finish-her-final-term-strong.html |access-date=2024-11-07 |website=mlive |language=en}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin | title=[[2000 United States Senate election in Michigan]]<ref>{{cite web | first=Jeff | last=Trandahl | title=STATISTICS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL AND CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION OF NOVEMBER 7, 2000 | date=June 21, 2001 | publisher = CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2000/2000Stat.htm }}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
  |party      =  Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Debbie Stabenow
  |votes      = 2,061,952
  |percentage = 49.47%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Spencer Abraham ([[incumbent]])
  |votes      = 1,994,693
  |percentage = 47.86%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Green Party of the United States
  |candidate  = Matthew Abel
  |votes      = 37,542
  |percentage = 0.90%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Michael Corliss
  |votes      = 29,966
  |percentage = 0.72%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Reform Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Mark Forton
  |votes      = 26,274
  |percentage = 0.63%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Constitution Party (United States)
  |candidate  = John Mangopoulos
  |votes      = 11,628
  |percentage = 0.28%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Natural Law Party (United States)
  |candidate  = William Quarton
  |votes      = 5,630
  |percentage = 0.14%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box majority|
  |votes      = 67,259
  |percentage = 1.61%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box turnout|
  |votes      = 4,165,685
  |percentage = 
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
  |winner     = Democratic Party (United States)
  |loser      = Republican Party (United States)
  |swing      = −4.02%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=[[2006 United States Senate election in Michigan]]}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Debbie Stabenow ([[incumbent]])
  |votes      = 2,151,278
  |percentage = 56.9%
  |change     = +7.4%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Michael Bouchard
  |votes      = 1,559,597
  |percentage = 41.3%
  |change     = -6.6%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Leonard Schwartz
  |votes      = 27,012
  |percentage = 0.7%
  |change     = 0%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Green Party of the United States
  |candidate  = David Sole
  |votes      = 23,890
  |percentage = 0.6%
  |change     = −0.3%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Constitution Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Dennis FitzSimons
  |votes      = 18,341
  |percentage = 0.5%
  |change     = +0.2
}}
{{Election box majority
  |votes      = 591,681
  |percentage = 15.6%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box turnout
  |votes      = 3,780,142
  |percentage = 
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box hold with party link
  |winner     = Democratic Party (United States)
  |swing      = 7%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=[[2012 United States Senate election in Michigan]]}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Debbie Stabenow ([[incumbent]])
  |votes      = 2,735,826
  |percentage = 58.8%
  |change     = +1.9%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = [[Pete Hoekstra]]
  |votes      = 1,767,386
  |percentage = 38.0%
  |change     = −3.3%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = [[Scott Boman|Scotty Boman]]
  |votes      = 84,480
  |percentage = 1.8%
  |change     = +1.1%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Green Party of the United States
  |candidate  = Harley Mikkelson
  |votes      = 27,890
  |percentage = 0.6%
  |change     = -
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Constitution Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Richard Matkin
  |votes      = 26,038
  |percentage = 0.6%
  |change     = +0.1%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Natural Law Party (United States)
  |candidate  = John Litle
  |votes      = 11,229
  |percentage = 0.2%
  |change     = +0.1%
}}
{{Election box write-in with party link
  |votes      = 69
  |percentage = 0.0%
  |change     = -
}}
{{Election box majority
  |votes      = 968,440
  |percentage = 20.8%
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box turnout
  |votes      = 4,652,918
  |percentage = 
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box hold with party link
  |winner     = Democratic Party (United States)
  |swing      = 2%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=[[2018 United States Senate election in Michigan]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-michigan-elections.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/06/us/elections/results-michigan-elections.html|title=Michigan Election Results|date=November 6, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 28, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Debbie Stabenow ([[incumbent]])
  |votes      = 2,214,478
  |percentage = 52.3%
  |change     = −6.5%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = [[John E. James]]
  |votes      = 1,938,818
  |percentage = 45.8%
  |change     = +7.8%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Green Party of the United States
  |candidate  = Marcia Squier
  |votes      = 40,204
  |percentage = 0.9%
  |change     = +0.3%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Constitution Party (United States)
  |candidate  = George Huffman
  |votes.     = 27,251
  |percentage = 0.6%
  |change     = +0.6%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
  |party      = Natural Law Party (United States)
  |candidate  = John Wilhelm
  |votes      = 16,502
  |percentage = 0.2%
  |change     = +0.2%
}}
{{Election box majority
  |votes      = 275,660
  |percentage = 6.50%
  |change     = −14.3%
}}
{{Election box turnout
  |votes      = 4,237,253
  |percentage = 
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box hold with party link
  |winner     = Democratic Party (United States)
  |swing      = 6%
}}
{{Election box end}}

==See also==
* [[Women in the United States House of Representatives]]
* [[Women in the United States Senate]]

== Notes ==
<references group="lower-alpha" />

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
{{Commons category}}
*[https://stabenow.senate.gov/ Senator Debbie Stabenow] official U.S. Senate website
*[http://www.stabenowforsenate.com/ Debbie Stabenow for Senate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001154616/http://www.stabenowforsenate.com/ |date=October 1, 2012 }}
*{{C-SPAN|45451}}
{{CongLinks | congbio=S000770 | votesmart=515 | fec=S8MI00281 | congress=deborah-stabenow/S000770 }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stabenow, Debbie}}
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