Deborah Ann "Debbie" Greer Stabenow is the junior United States Senator from Michigan and a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to the U.S. Senate, she was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2001. She previously served as a member of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, Michigan House of Representatives, and Michigan Senate. Stabenow defeated first-term Republican incumbent Spencer Abraham in the 2000 U.S. Senate election, becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from... Michigan. She and Maria Cantwell were the first women to defeat incumbent Senators in a general election. Stabenow was re-elected easily in 2006, receiving 57% of the vote. Stabenow currently serves as Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Her current Senate term ends in January 2013 and she is seeking re-election to the seat in November 2012. Stabenow was born in Gladwin, Michigan, the daughter of Anna Merle and Robert Lee Greer. She grew up in Clare, Michigan, where her father and grandfather owned an auto dealership. She graduated from Clare High School.
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