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The suddenly open seat in a top-tier battleground has several Michigan politicians taking a serious look.
Jan. 29, 2025, 5:03 a.m. ET
Senator Gary Peters’s decision to retire has opened up a marquee Senate race in Michigan, a pre-eminent battleground state that President Trump flipped in November.
The announcement this week from Mr. Peters, a Democrat, set off a flurry of political activity in Michigan — especially among his party’s deep bench of ambitious politicians, some of whom are also considering a run for governor.
Here’s a snapshot of some of the people who might jump into the Senate contest:
Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary
Mr. Buttigieg, the former presidential candidate and transportation secretary, is a relatively recent Michigan transplant, growing up in Indiana and becoming a Michigan resident in 2022, moving to Traverse City.
“I have a lot of humility about having only moved to Michigan a few years ago,” he said in an interview last month, asked at the time about a run for governor. “Although, of course, I did grow up in the neighborhood.”
Mr. Buttigieg is taking a “serious look” at a Senate bid, according to a person with knowledge of his thinking who insisted on Tuesday on anonymity to discuss the private deliberations, adding that he was “exploring all of his options.”
Mr. Buttigieg is also seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2028.
What about Gretchen Whitmer?
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who is term-limited in 2026, quickly and colorfully took herself out of contention for Mr. Peters’s seat on Tuesday.
