SAUGATUCK, Mich. (AP) — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that he will not seek an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, a move that leaves the door wide open for him to seek a much bigger role as his party’s next presidential nominee.
Since his role in the Biden administration ended in late January, Buttigieg has spent months considering his next move, including a serious look at the unexpectedly open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, where he relocated in recent years. But many prominent allies he consulted believed he could not realistically pursue the Senate seat while keeping the door open for a 2028 presidential run.
“I care deeply about who Michigan will elect as Governor and send to the U.S. Senate next year, but I have decided against competing in either race,” Buttigieg said on social media Thursday, adding that he doesn't plan to run for any office in 2026.
The decision throws the Michigan race wide open to replace Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who unexpectedly announced earlier this year that he won’t seek reelection in 2026. Michigan is one of three pickup opportunities for Republicans in purple states. In addition to Peters, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen have announced they won't seek reelection.
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow is expected to announce a Democratic bid for Senate in April, according to two sources with direct knowledge. She rose to national prominence after a fiery 2022 floor speech and has since solidified her status as one of Michigan’s most high-profile Democrats, including speaking at the Democratic National Convention last year. She teased the announcement on social media Thursday, saying she will “have more to share soon.”
Other Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, are considering potential runs. A Republican hasn’t been elected to the U.S. Senate in Michigan this century, although Mike Rogers came within less than 1 percentage point last fall and is planning to run again.
While Buttigieg’s decision could weaken Democrats’ chances of retaining a critical Senate seat in 2026, it may also strengthen the party’s search for new national leadership to counter President Donald Trump.
Buttigieg first ran for president as the little-known mayor of South Bend, Indiana in 2020 and outperformed far more experienced Democrats in the Iowa presidential caucuses. He later dropped out of the presidential race and was chosen by Biden to be his U.S. transportation secretary.
Widely regarded as one of the party’s most effective communicators, Buttigieg boasts a massive social media following, a national donor network, and a Midwestern appeal that resonates both in Fox News Channel interviews and more intimate settings. Now living in Traverse City, Michigan, Buttigieg has been rapidly building connections in his new home state — a key swing state and a likely host of one of the nation’s first presidential primaries.
Buttigieg wrote in a post on the publishing platform Substack that he planned in the months ahead to spend time “engaging both legacy and digital media in the service of a politics of everyday life, rooted in the values of freedom, security, and democracy.”
“You’ll be seeing me on familiar platforms and newer ones, developing this vision and discussing with fellow Americans what they most need from their government and their country at a time like this,” Buttigieg wrote.
Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press
