Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow\u2019s decision to not run for reelection jolted national Democrats on Thursday, setting off a mad scramble for a newly open battleground seat in 2024.<\/p>\n
At least two prominent Democrats \u2014 Reps. Elissa Slotkin and Debbie Dingell \u2014 are seriously considering a run, according to people familiar with their thinking. But several other House members could also take a look at it, including Reps. Dan Kildee and Haley Stevens, according to several Michigan Democrats.<\/p>\n
The quick maneuvering and rampant speculation around it is owed, in large part, to the sheer number of Democrats who have long waited for a crack at running for higher office, and also to the abruptness of the announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m stunned,\u201d said Dingell, who represents Michigan\u2019s 6th District and is among the state\u2019s highest-profile politicians. \u201cShe told me months ago she was running. … I can\u2019t imagine our delegation without her, but today is the day we celebrate her and then we figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stabenow\u2019s announcement on Thursday marks the first major retirement ahead of the 2024 cycle, when Senate Democrats will be on defense in a slate of top swing states. It also tees off an open primary in a presidential swing state, with Republicans joining up-and-coming Democratic talent in eyeing a competitive race suddenly without a three-term incumbent on the ballot.<\/p>\n
“We have a great group of possibilities,\u201d Stabenow told POLITICO. \u201cSo I’ll be having lots of conversations as you can imagine with folks. I think we have a wonderful generation of leaders on our side, I don’t see the same kind of strong … team on the Republican side.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least two of the most prominent Michigan Democrats \u2014 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who now splits his time between Washington, D.C., and his family home in Traverse City, Mich. \u2014 quickly announced they were not planning a run for Stabenow\u2019s seat on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Whitmer, in a lengthy statement praising Stabenow\u2019s legacy, noted that as governor, she looked \u201cforward to working with her through the end of her term,\u201d a nod to her plans to serve out her full four-year term, after winning reelection by a more than 10-point margin last year.<\/p>\n
Buttigieg released a statement of his own, noting he is \u201cfully focused on serving the President in my role as Secretary of Transportation, and not seeking any other job.\u201d Using the present tense, Buttigieg continued, \u201cwe are hard at work to rebuild the nation\u2019s infrastructure, grow the economy, and create good-paying jobs.\u201d Buttigieg has turned down chances to run for the House before and has often described himself as someone with an executive skill set.<\/p>\n
Stabenow declined to say if she’s spoken with Buttigieg about the seat. \u201cI look forward to talking to a lot of people that are interested,” she said. “But, it’s been a pretty busy day so far for me. And I really haven’t had those opportunities yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even beyond Whitmer and Buttigieg, the Democratic bench in Michigan is one of the deepest in the country, featuring a full slate of statewide elected officers, a large congressional delegation representing swing seats, and an unusually prominent state legislator who achieved viral fame last year.<\/p>\n
A trio of statewide electeds \u2014 Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel \u2014 could all be well-placed for a Senate run, as well as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Benson is set to be in Washington, D.C., on Friday to receive a Presidential Citizens Medal from President Joe Biden for the role she played in overseeing the 2020 election in her state.<\/p>\n
But several Michigan Democrats noted that all those candidates may also be keeping an eye on the governor\u2019s mansion, which will not be open again until 2026.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who rocketed to national prominence in 2021 for a speech she made on the state Senate floor and built an impressive online donor base, has also been floated as a potential candidate. In a statement, McMorrow praised Stabenow but did not mention her own intentions for the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a traffic jam,\u201d said one Michigan Democratic strategist, granted anonymity to discuss the primary field candidly, \u201cand I don\u2019t think anyone clears the deck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michigan will be an epicenter of political activity ahead of 2024. For the first time in 40 years, Democrats control all the levers of power: the governor\u2019s mansion and both legislative chambers. What they\u2019re able to accomplish, including bringing new business and job opportunities to one of the oldest \u2014 age-wise \u2014 states in the nation, will have a potentially profound impact on the political landscape.<\/p>\n
Republicans are expected to play aggressively in the state as well, and not just at the presidential level. The Republican primary to fill Stabenow\u2019s seat could be just as messy as the Democratic one, with a number of options ranging from former Rep. Peter Meijer, who lost a GOP primary to a Trump-backed candidate last year, to Rep.-elect John James, who just won a congressional seat after a failed Senate bid in 2018, according to several national GOP operatives.<\/p>\n
Two former gubernatorial candidates could also look at the race, according to a national strategist working on Senate campaigns, including Perry Johnson, a Detroit-area businessman, and Kevin Rinke, another former gubernatorial candidate and a former auto dealer.<\/p>\n
Other prominent Republicans remain in the state, like Tudor Dixon, who lost a bid for governor to Whitmer in 2022. A person with knowledge of Dixon\u2019s thinking noted that she \u201cisn\u2019t ruling anything out, but remains laser-focused on how she can help Republicans win in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such a potentially vast field could reopen fresh wounds, coming on the heels of a bitter ending to Dixon\u2019s campaign that featured the Michigan Republican Party\u2019s co-chair lashing out at Dixon and Republican donors who \u201chate\u201d former President Donald Trump for the party\u2019s across-the-board losses in the state.<\/p>\n
But GOP operatives in the state said they were hopeful they can avoid a cantankerous contest to fill Stabenow\u2019s seat. \u201cI don\u2019t see them behaving like [the] Ohio Senate primary,\u201d said Jason Cabel Roe, a Michigan-based Republican consultant, citing the 2022 Ohio Senate primary, when the race devolved into a battle for Trump\u2019s endorsement.<\/p>\n
Sarah Ferris, Marianne LeVine, Meredith Lee Hill and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.<\/p>\n