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State losing seniority in Senate

First Debbie Stabenow.

Now Gary Peters.

And in a nanosecond of political reality, Michigan will go from having a wealth of seniority and swagger/influence in the U.S. Senate to being two years away from having virtually none.

Ouch.

Such is the storyline on the decision by U.S. Senator Stabenow to hang it up, leaving behind her chairpersonship of the Senate Agriculture Committee which Michigan farmers reveled in having. In 2026, when Senator Peters ends his senate run all of his seniority on important committees is out the window, too.

Double ouch, because whoever replaces them starts at the bottom of the seniority ladder, and it will be years before the two state senators grow their swagger to get things done for the state.

So you are asking yourself, “Why would they do this to the state they supposedly love?”

When you boil it all down, it comes down to enough is enough and there is the right time to fold’em and that time is now.

In his video statement explaining why he would not run again, Peters noted that the Founding Fathers (there were no Founding Mothers) asserted that politicians should not spend a lifetime in the U.S. capitol. Instead, they wanted elected folks to go back home to become ordinally citizens and Peters reflects, “I agree.”

But it’s what he didn’t say that sheds more light on his thinking leading up to his decision.

That came during a one-on-one interview from his D.C. office.

First, he said, he was not leaving for any health reasons. “I’m healthy. I’d like to lose a little weight.”

Was he burned out? Nope.

Did his wife and kids lean on him to spend more time with them rather than the Washington crowd? No, he reports concerning the very private decision he and his spouse made over a series of months as they pondered the “impact on their life short and long term.”

Then he does concede that today’s U.S. Senate gig, in terms of cordiality and bi-partisan cooperation ain’t what it used to be when he was elected. He recalls his days in the Michigan legislature when working together was a given even though there were tenacious disagreements en route to getting there. He clearly misses that now and one might add that does suck some of the “fun” out of the job

What do ya mean, “fun?”

If you talk to those folks who have been in the game for years, they understand that to make the personal and family sacrifices to do it, there better be some fun involved, otherwise, the job becomes a grind and therefore tougher to give it your all. In fact, at the Detroit Auto Show, the senator used that exact word, “grind,” when chatting with a reporter.

His decision not only has huge ramifications regarding the state’s senate seniority which is the currency of that land down there. For Democrats, it’s now a huge challenge to hold onto the seat with him out of the lineup because everyone knows it is easier to hold a seat with an incumbent in the race than it is to start from scratch with somebody new.

So the chit-chat from his office turned to that juicy angle.

What would he do if the Democrats came knocking on bended knee with a plea to have him retire before his final two years elapse?

Stabenow made it clear she would not leave early, and it seems Peters is singing from the same hymnal, even though the decision would be for the “good of the party,” the Democrats would tell him.

“I would tell them no,” he reveals for the first time.

He was pressed noting that for two cycles he ran the Democratic U.S. Senate reelection operation so he knows the ins and outs of all this incumbency stuff and how critical it is to have if you want to win.

He would not budge.

“I’m going to continue to serve my full term.”

That sounded like an unequivocal statement.

“It is,” he confirmed while adding, “I was elected for six years. I’m going to do six years,” as he put a fine point on his thinking less anyone not believe him.

Clearly, he looks forward to more time with family including a new grandson way out in Seattle, and more time to hop on his Harley for those twisting back roads in Michigan “on some warm sunny day.”

It beats playing political dodgeball where the old way of doing it is but a fond memory for the seasoned politician who loves public service.

Life looks better on the other side two years down the road and he is summed up in four simple, but yet profound words, “I am at peace.”

You can’t argue with that.

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