The decision by Michigan Sen. Gary Peters not to run for a third term set off a political earthquake, igniting buzz about who could get into the race.

Former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon on former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg considering a Senate run in Michigan and Democrats recovering after their 2024 election loss.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, of Michigan, announced Tuesday that he will not run for a third six-year term in 2026 leaving an open Senate seat.

Buttigieg, who was mayor of South Bend, Indiana, moved to his husband Chasten’s home state of Michigan in 2020 after losing to President Biden in the Democratic primary that same year.

The surprise decision Tuesday again complicates for Democrats in Michigan, who will be forced to defend an open seat in the battleground state for the second straight election cycle. Peters led the Democrats’ Senate campaign efforts from 2021 to 2025 and helped the party hold control of the chamber in 2022 before Republicans flipped it last year.

Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters' retirement announcement on Tuesday generated speculation about which Democrats could run to replace him in next year's Senate race.

Gary Peters' exit creates a highly contested U.S. Senate battleground seat expected to be coveted by both major political parties.

Pete Buttigieg, former transportation secretary, is seriously looking at running for Senate in Michigan, according to a source close to him. A seat opened up in the battleground state Tuesday after Democratic Sen.

Former Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg presided over countless setbacks and catastrophic initiatives.

Pete Buttigieg is looking into a potential Senate run in 2026 in Michigan, which was won by President Donald Trump in 2024.

The Democratic former transportation secretary lives in Traverse City and could run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Gary Peters.