密歇根州民主党参议员黛比·斯塔贝诺周四宣布，她将在任期结束时退休，在2024年开放她的席位两年后，她的战场州将更靠近参议院地图的中心，届时她的政党将处于守势，以保持其微弱的多数。
Stabenow于2000年首次当选为众议院议员，是民主党领导层的一员，她在一份声明中表示，随着她在2025年1月离任，她将在回归私人生活的同时，将权力移交给年轻的立法者。
她说她打算花“宝贵的时间”和家人在一起，包括她96岁的母亲。
“在新一代领导人的激励下，我决定在美国参议院传递火炬。我今天宣布，我不会寻求连任，并将在2025年1月3日我的任期结束时离开美国参议院，”她说。
她的宣布令从兰辛到华盛顿的民主党人感到惊讶，立即引发了人们对谁可能在这个摇摆州竞选她的席位的猜测，在唐纳德·特朗普在2016年总统大选中险胜之后，民主党人最近在这个州取得了成功。
为了取代Stabenow，民主党人在密歇根州拥有一个特别深厚的席位，包括几名现任联邦和州级官员。
众议员Debbie Dingell，Dan Kildee，Elissa Slotkin和Haley Stevens，副州长Garlin Gilchrist，州国务卿Jocelyn Benson，州总检察长Dana Nessel和州参议员Mallory McMorrow都被观察家们称为民主党人，他们可能会发起一场运动来接替Stabenow。
州长格雷琴·惠特莫(Gretchen Whitmer)在去年的中期选举中获得了两位数的胜利，交通部长皮特·布蒂吉格(Michael Bloomberg)也在传言之列，尽管两人都发表声明，淡化了竞选参议员的任何兴趣。
尽管密歇根州是战场，但民主党人最近在密歇根州取得了成功，惠特莫赢得了连任，该党在11月赢得了州议会两院的胜利。
尽管如此，斯塔贝诺退休的决定可能会使该党在2024年国会选举中的战略复杂化，届时他们将面临令人生畏的参议院地图。
除了捍卫亚利桑那州、内华达州、宾夕法尼亚州和威斯康星州等摇摆州的席位，民主党人还需要保住蒙大拿州、俄亥俄州和西弗吉尼亚州的席位，这三个州通常都会选举共和党人。
总的来说，民主党将有23个参议院席位竞选连任，而共和党只有10个席位。
在参议院以51比49的民主党优势，他们目前的多数是两个席位鉴于副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯可以断绝关系。
民主党参议员鲍勃·凯西(Bob Casey)周四发表讲话后，这一立场的脆弱性更加明显。他的席位也将在2024年结束，他宣布自己患有前列腺癌，尽管他在一份声明中表示，他应该能够“在最小的干扰下”继续工作，并吹捧他的预后。
特别是在密歇根州，自1975年以来担任过各种职务的斯塔贝诺在她的同事中显得很突出。
“我们都以为她在竞选，”一名前州议员在给ABC新闻的短信中说。“她是不可战胜的。整个国家的野兽。”
民主党参议员竞选委员会(DSCC)认为，即使密歇根州在竞选中不稳定，它仍有能力捍卫该州。
DSCC发言人大卫·伯格斯坦在一份声明中说:“2022年，密歇根州民主党人赢得了全州的胜利，我们相信民主党人将在2024年占据参议院席位。”。
可能在两年内发起参议院竞选的共和党人包括前众议员彼得·梅耶尔，他去年在初选中输给了特朗普支持的挑战者;即将上任的众议员约翰·詹姆斯，曾两次在参议院竞选中失利;都铎·迪克森，她输给了惠特莫的挑战;前州司法部长比尔·舒特等等。
“我们将在2024年积极争取这个席位。这可能是许多决定退休而不是失败的参议院民主党人中的第一个，”国家共和党参议院委员会通讯主任迈克·伯格在一份声明中说。
鉴于该州的一些保守派是前总统唐纳德·特朗普的亲密盟友，以及梅耶尔等一些人曾公开反对他，共和党人可能会面临一场混乱的初选，这取决于他们党内谁会竞选参议员。
“大好机会。参议院共和党人顶级超级政治行动委员会参议院领导基金负责人史蒂文·劳在推特上写道。"需要:一个能够筹集资金、团结党内并吸引倾向共和党的独立人士的候选人."
Stabenow's surprise retirement pushes Michigan closer to center of 2024 Senate map
Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced Thursday that she will retire at the end of her term, opening up her seat in 2024 and moving her battleground state closer to the heart of the Senate map in two years, when her party will be on the defensive in retaining its narrow majority.
Stabenow, who was first elected to the chamber in 2000 and is a member of Democratic leadership, said in a statement that as she leaves office in January 2025, she will look to hand power to younger lawmakers while she returns to private life.
She said she intends to spend "precious time" with her family, including her 96-year-old mother.
"Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate. I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election and will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of my term on January 3, 2025," she said.
Her announcement, which surprised Democrats from Lansing to Washington, spurred immediate speculation over who could run for her seat in a swing state where Democrats have seen recent successes after Donald Trump narrowly flipped it in the 2016 presidential election.
To run a replacement for Stabenow, Democrats boast a particularly deep bench in Michigan, including several incumbent federal and statewide officeholders.
Reps. Debbie Dingell, Dan Kildee, Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, state Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, state Attorney General Dana Nessel and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow were all mentioned by observers as Democrats who could potentially launch a campaign to succeed Stabenow.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who had a double-digit win in last year's midterms, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former presidential candidate who moved his residency to Michigan, were also included in the rumor mill though both put out statements downplaying any interest in running for the Senate.
Democrats have recently enjoyed success in Michigan despite its battleground status, with Whitmer winning reelection and the party winning both chambers of the state legislature in November.
Still, Stabenow's decision to retire is likely to complicate the party's strategy in the 2024 congressional elections, when they face a daunting Senate map.
Beyond defending seats in swing states like Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Democrats will also need to hold onto seats in Montana, Ohio and West Virginia, all three of which typically elect Republicans.
In total, Democrats will have 23 Senate seats up for reelection compared to 10 for the GOP.
With a 51-49 Democratic advantage in the Senate, their current majority is two seats, given that Vice President Kamala Harris can break ties.
The fragility of that hold was put into sharper relief Thursday after Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., whose seat is also up in 2024, announced he had prostate cancer, though he said in a statement that he should be able to continue his work "with minimal disruption" and touted his prognosis.
In Michigan in particular, Stabenow, who's held various offices since 1975, loomed large among her colleagues.
"We all thought she was running," one former state legislator said in a text to ABC News. "She was unbeatable. A total beast in the state."
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) contended that it would still be able to defend Michigan without Stabenow in the race.
"In 2022 Michigan Democrats won resounding statewide victories, and we are confident Democrats will hold this Senate seat in 2024," DSCC spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement.
Among those Republicans who could launch a Senate bid in two years are former Rep. Peter Meijer, who lost his primary last year to a Trump-backed challenger; incoming Rep. John James, who previously lost two Senate bids; Tudor Dixon, who lost her challenge to Whitmer; former state Attorney General Bill Schuette and more.
"We are going to aggressively target this seat in 2024. This could be the first of many Senate Democrats who decide to retire rather than lose," National Republican Senatorial Committee Communications Director Mike Berg said in a statement.
Republicans could face a messy primary depending who in their party runs for the Senate, given that some conservatives in the state are close allies of former President Donald Trump -- and some, like Meijer, have vocally opposed him.
"Great opportunity. Tough state," tweeted Steven Law, the head of Senate Leadership Fund, Senate Republicans' top super PAC. "Needed: a candidate who can raise money, unite the party and appeal to GOP-leaning Independents."
