Debbie Stabenow

Deborah Ann "Debbie" Stabenow (born Deborah Ann Greer on April 29, 1950) is a Democratic United States Senator from Michigan.

In the 2000 election, Stabenow defeated the Republican incumbent, Senator Spencer Abraham. She was the first woman from Michigan elected to the U.S. Senate, and, along with Washington's Maria Cantwell, the first woman to defeat an incumbent elected senator. Stabenow was re-elected in 2006.

Early life and career
Stabenow was born in Gladwin, Michigan, USA to Anna Merle Hallmark and Robert Lee Greer. She grew up in Clare, Michigan. She graduated from Clare High School. She received a B.A. from Michigan State University in 1972 and an M.S.W. magna cum laude from Michigan State University in 1975. While in graduate school, Stabenow won her first election, to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, a position in which she served from 1975 to 1978. She has also worked as a social worker, and a leadership training consultant. She served in the Michigan State House of Representatives from 1979 to 1990, where she became the first woman to preside over the House. She also served in the Michigan Senate from 1991 to 1994. In 1994, she made an unsuccessful primary run for Michigan Governor, after which she was chosen as the running mate (Michigan Lieutenant Governor), but the Democratic ticket was not successful.

She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1996 from Michigan's 8th congressional district and served two terms. She did not seek reelection to the House of Representatives in 2000, but was elected to the U.S. Senate. Stabenow was considered the underdog for much of the Senate race, but rallied in the final weeks of the campaign to unseat Abraham by a narrow margin. Abraham's wife Jane was rumored to be a Republican candidate for Stabenow's seat in the 2006 election, but opted out of the race.

Michigan legislature
Stabenow was a leader in the passage of the one of the first laws in the U.S. that required all Michigan children to ride in car seats until age 5. She authored a domestic violence law which increased criminal penalties for those committing domestic violence offences. Perhaps ironically, Republican members of the State legislature nicknamed her "D-Stabs" around this time. She was the first woman to preside over the House.

In the Michigan Senate, Stabenow was a leader in the passage of bills including Michigan's property tax cuts, small business reforms, and legislation to protect families and children in the state.

United States Senate
Stabenow is currently a member of the Finance Committee, along with the Budget Committee and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee . Previously, she also served on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and the Special Committee on Aging.

Stabenow is only the second person from Michigan to have served in both houses of the Michigan State Legislature and in both houses of the United States Congress. The first was Thomas W. Ferry. Stabenow is also the first person to have served as a Michigan state legislator to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate (until enactment of the Seventeenth amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, U.S. Senators were selected by the state legislature). No former Michigan state legislator had served in the U.S. Senate since 1894, when Francis B. Stockbridge died.

Stabenow introduced S. 2986 in 2002 attempting to move forward a land claims settlement with the Bay Mills Indian Community (Brimley, Michigan) and allow the tribe to develop a casino off-reservation almost 350 miles away in Port Huron, Michigan. In 1996, the Bay Mills Indians made claims to lands in Michigan including more than 100 acres in the "Charlotte Beach" area on Michigan's Upper Penninsula. The claims were rejected by both state and federal court at the time on adminisrative grounds and have never been officially heard or validated. Nevertheless, then Michigan Governor John Engler, a Republican, entered into a settlement agreement with the Tribe in which the Tribe would agree to extinguish claims to the Charlotte Beach lands in exchange for the right to build a casino in Port Huron. The tribe has two casinos already. Michigan casino syndicators Marian Ilitch and Michael J. Malik, Sr. are bankrolling the tribe's pursuits. According to records on file with the Federal Election Commission, Ilitch Family members and Malik contributed more than $117,200 toward Senator Stabenow's 2006 re-election — significantly more than they gave to any other federal candidate in either the 2004 or 2006 federal election cycles. Neither Ilitch or Malik contributed to Stabenow's previous campaigns. There have been no allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the Senator and the casino in question has not been built or authorized.

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, Stabenow was the first Senator to author legislation that would waive all transportation fees to Americans trapped in Lebanon, so that their deportation back to America would not cost them. She authored a law that was the first to ban drilling in the Great Lakes.

On August 31, 2006 Stabenow, along with Senator Carl Levin and Rep. John Dingell, announced an agreement that would completely cease Ontario's dumping of solid waste in Michigan within four years. This issue has been a crucial issue in Michigan for the past several years. Previously in the Senate, Stabenow wrote legislation intended to reduce the dumping of Canadian trash into Michigan by requiring machines to search trash being dumped across the border. More recently, she unanimously passed a law requiring the payment of $420 inspection fee for every truckload of Canadian trash being brought into Michigan.

Stabenow became the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate on November 16, 2004, when she was elected by her colleagues to be secretary of the Democratic caucus. As caucus secretary, she assisted Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to set the Democrats' agenda and priorities. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was elected Minority Whip, the Democrats' second-ranking spot. In November 2006, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that Stabenow would leave the caucus secretary position to succeed Hillary Rodham 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".

2006 re-election campaign
Stabenow faced her first re-election in the 2006 election. There were three Republicans who declared their candidacy: Reverend Keith Butler, a former Detroit City Councilman; Dr. Jerry Zandstra, a former director at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty; and Michael Bouchard, the Oakland County sheriff and former state Senate majority leader. Jerry Zandstra failed to be placed on the ballot, due to insufficient certified petition signatures. Michael Bouchard won the Republican primary but was defeated by Stabenow in the general election. Stabenow received 57% of the vote while Bouchard received 41%.

Family
Debbie Stabenow lives in Lansing with her husband, Tom Athans. She has two children, Michelle and Todd, and a stepdaughter named Gina. She belongs to the Grace United Methodist Church.