President Donald Trump attacks former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg at press conference. Buttigieg responds on X.

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.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters announced this week he will not seek a third term in 2026. The surprise announcement poses a challenge for Michigan democrats.

The former Transportation Secretary is reportedly considering a run for one of Michigan’s U.S. Senate seats in 2026.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who led the Democrats’ Senate campaign efforts the past two election cycles, has announced he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating a highly contested battleground seat expected to be coveted by both major political parties.

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.

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.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, leaving Congress at the end of his second term and opening up a highly competitive battleground Senate seat.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is "taking a serious look" at running for the Michigan senate seat left open by the surprise retirement of Sen. Gary Peters, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Buttigieg would bring his national fundraising network to what is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate races in the country.

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

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.