1. CAMPAIGN 2012:
Farm bill could boost Stabenow's cred among rural Mich. voters
For all the noise over it in Washington, D.C., it is unlikely that the farm bill will play much of a role in Sen. Debbie Stabenow's re-election campaign. But what it could do for Stabenow, who is seeking her third term in the Senate, is give her a boost in a demographic that usually votes Republican. Political strategists said they expect to see at least some farmers and rural landowners cross over the aisle to vote for the liberal Michigan Democrat in November.