“For over three decades, middle class families in Michigan have woken up each day secure in the knowledge that they had a champion in Washington.  Carl Levin's place in history belongs alongside Michigan's greatest statesmen:  Lewis Cass, Gerald Ford, and the conscience of the Senate, Senator Philip Hart, a mantle that today is carried by Carl Levin.  When I began my own career in public service, his was the example I held myself up to.  Like Carl has for so many others, he became a mentor to me over the years and I’m proud to call him my friend.  His leadership will be missed, but his legacy to Michigan and this country will outlive all of us.”