Deborah Ann Greer Stabenow (/ˈstæbəˌnaʊ/; born April 29, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Michigan, a seat she was first elected to in 2000. A member of the Democratic Party, she became the state’s first female U.S. Senator after defeating Republican incumbent Spencer Abraham. Before her election to the Senate, she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Michigan’s 8th congressional district (1997–2001). Previously she served on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners and in the Michigan State Legislature.
Stabenow served as Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee from 2011 to 2015. She was reelected to the Senate for a fourth term in 2018. She became the state’s senior U.S. Senator upon the retirement of Carl Levin on January 3, 2015. She became Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee in 2017.
