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

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is eyeing a potential bid to represent Michigan in the US Senate after Democrat Gary Peters announced Tuesday he would not seek a third term, leaving open one of the most competitive seats in the 2026 cycle.

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.

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.

They will need to defend an open seat in a battleground state that President Trump carried in 2024. And Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ruled out a run.

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's Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announces her candidacy for governor in a bid to replace Gretchen Whitmer.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg of Traverse City is considering a bid for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat in 2026, two sources familiar with his thinking said

His unexpected retirement in the battleground states comes in an already difficult Senate cycle for Democrats.

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.

Pete Buttigieg and State Senator Mallory McMorrow are weighing whether to mount a campaign for Michigan’s Senate seat after Senator Gary Peters announced he wouldn’t run for another term.Buttigieg served as Transportation Secretary in President Joe Biden’s administration and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020,