Senator Debbie Stabenow announced Thursday that this is her last term in office, saying she will not seek reelection at the end of her term on January 3, 2025.

Stabenow said in a statement that "inspired by a new generation of leaders," she has decided to "pass the torch in the U.S. Senate." Stabenow noted that when she first ran for the state legislature in 1978, "there were only eight women serving in the state house and none in the state senate or top statewide offices. This year there are 44 women serving in the state house and 15 in the senate! Women hold the top three statewide elected offices, and we have the first female majority leader in the state senate!"

Despite a "cloud of unprecedented threats to our democracy and our basic freedoms," Stabenow pointed out that "a record-breaking number of people voted last year in Michigan. Young people showed up like never before. This was a very hopeful sign for our future." The senator said that for the next two years, she plans to be "intensely focused" on work to improve the lives of Michiganders. "This includes leading the passage of the next five-year Farm Bill, which determines our nation’s food and agriculture policies," she wrote. "It is also key in protecting our land and water and creating jobs in our rural and urban communities."

Stabenow said she was "grateful for the trust the people of Michigan have placed in me." Once her term ends, Stabenow said she intends to "begin a new chapter" that includes continuing to serve Michigan outside of elected office and spending more time with family.