Spotlight on Sen. Debbie Stabenow, SNAP PAC-endorsed candidate

SNAP is very excited to be supporting Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan, in her re-election bid this year. A staunch defender of the environment, a guardian of Social Security, and a leader in the fight for health care and prescription drug access, Senator Stabenow has had a meteoric rise in the Senate, becoming the third-ranking member of the Democratic leadership in only four years.

She has accomplished more in her first term than many legislators accomplish in their entire careers. A tireless progressive advocate, Debbie Stabenow makes us proud to send students to work for her in Michigan this summer, and they will certainly hit the ground running. As is to be expected whenever strong progressives emerge, a number of conservative candidates are seeking to challenge her. We can't win a progressive majority in Congress without defending the strong progressives Americans have already elected, and that's why we're supporting Debbie Stabenow for re-election to United States Senate.

Senator Stabenow helped lead the fight against President Bush's irresponsible plan to privatize Social Security, and in so doing showed all of us that she understands the value of hard work. As Stabenow said, Bush's plan was "out of step with the fundamental value of ensuring that after a life spent working hard and contributing to the greatness of our nation, every American should have a secure retirement." And while she thinks that it's important that America "develop innovative ways to promote savings so more Americans can save for their future" Stabenow recognizes that we can't have a real conversation about Social Security without first rejecting privatization loud and clear.

When it comes to protecting the environment, the most public controversy nowadays continues to be the fight to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil and gas drilling. Yet the conservative assault on our last few and precious open spaces does not stop there - the Great Lakes, some of our country's most precious waters and a source for drinking water for 30 million Americans, continue to draw the gaze of ambitious oil and gas companies. Sen. Stabenow has been the leader to protect the Great Lakes in the Senate, authoring and successfully building bipartisan support to pass the original federal ban on oil & gas drilling in the Great Lakes back in 2001, and she has continued to fight to make this ban permanent. Her willingness to work so tirelessly on issues that matter both to her constituents and to rest of the nation, even when they don't garner the media attention they deserve, shows why she is a true progressive leader. That's why I am so excited that SNAP is supporting Debbie Stabenow for re-election to United States Senate.

Please help us send as many students as possible to work on this critical and exciting campaign by making a contribution to SNAP today at www.snappac.org/donate.html. Every dollar you send goes directly to our students in the field, so please contribute today!