Editorial: Re-elect Debbie Stabenow to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow has been representing Michigan in Washington D.C. since 2001. The LSJ Editorial Board believes she deserves to keep her job. She’s good for Michigan, and she’s good for Lansing.
A graduate of Michigan State, she’s proven a strong advocate for building the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams on campus and has consistently worked to protect that funding and other money significant to the state.
She’s a vocal supporter of protecting the Great Lakes, lifeblood of our state.
Stabenow understands the significance of replacing an outdated lock near Sault Ste. Marie for the shipping industry (her nearly $1 billion Soo Locks Modernization Act passed the Senate 99-1 last week).
Her work combats the real dangers posed to our greatest natural resource with an oil pipeline running submerged beneath the Straits of Mackinac and invasive species infiltrating our waterways, including her successful fight – with colleagues on both sides of the aisle – to protect funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
As ranking member of the Agriculture Committee, she demonstrates her ability to work collaboratively to achieve results. The Senate recently passed the 2018 Farm Bill 86-11, which included provisions for rural water infrastructure and high speed internet for farmers but did not place additional requirements on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients.
Stabenow also partnered with Republicans to pass $100 million in assistance funding for the Flint water crisis in 2016. Those dollars are replacing lead pipes to prevent additional health issues in the future.
Other priorities for Stabenow include affordable access to health care and prescription drugs, as well as strengthening education opportunities including career counseling and training in skilled trades.
It’s a tough time to govern in Washington, yet Stabenow sees plenty of potential.
“You have to want to solve a problem,” she told the LSJ Editorial Board. “You have to leave space for people to come together.”
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Stabenow’s challenger is John James, a political newcomer from Detroit who has similar goals in unlocking the partisanship in Washington. A self-described Republican in a family full of Democrats, James insists he’d be his own man in Congress.
“I’m prepared to work with, and challenge, anyone.”
James has an impressive background as a West Point graduate and combat veteran who flew more than 750 hours in Iraq. He would bring a first-person experience to veteran’s issues, including helping servicemen and servicewomen transition to civilian life.
Additionally, he has had success leading a family business in Detroit and views entrepreneurship as a key to reducing income inequality. James has a future in public service, just not as Michigan’s next U.S. Senator.
Re-elect Sen. Stabenow.
– an LSJ editorial
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The LSJ Editorial Board speaks for the LSJ as an institution. Editorials do not carry an individual byline because stances on issues are never decided by one person. Contact the board by emailing opinions@lsj.com. For the full wrap-up of 2018 LSJ election endorsements, click here.