Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow Is Retiring & Buttigieg Is Clear: He’s Not Running

So what does a path to victory look like for clearly not running and the future Democratic junior senator from Michigan?

According to NBC News, the focus will be intensely on U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who moved to Michigan after his unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign. Buttigieg’s advisers have long downplayed the significance of his newly established residency, noting that his in-laws live in the state and saying he and his husband wanted to be close to family as they raised their children.

Buttigieg issued a statement Thursday calling Stabenow “a force in the Senate” who “fights every day to make life better for Michiganders and all Americans.”

Buttigieg added:

“I am fully focused on serving the president in my role as Secretary of Transportation, and not seeking any other job. We are hard at work to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, grow the economy, and create good-paying jobs.”

Stabenow has served in the Senate since 2001 and previously served in the House from 1997. Before she came to Congress, she also served in both the state House and Senate. She holds several Democratic leadership roles, including Senate Democratic Policy Committee chair and chair of the Agriculture Committee. She has served alongside Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., since he came to Congress in 2015. Stabenow is among 21 Senate Democrats whose terms expire in 2025. Democrats face an uphill climb to hold on to the majority in the next election.