Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said she will step away from Congress at the end of her term, leaving an open seat as Democrats prepare to defend a slim majority in the upper chamber.
“Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate,” Stabenow said in a statement on Jan. 5.
The senator, 72, has been in office since 2001 after knocking off then-Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.) in the 2000 election.
Stabenow, who did not endorse any person to succeed her or identify any of the “new generation of leaders”, also cited a desire to spend more time with family….