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.

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.

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.

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - A surprising announcement from Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters on Tuesday. The Senator said after serving two terms in the Senate, he will not seek re-election in 2026. “It’s time for me to write a few more paragraphs in my current chapter and then turn over the reins,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D) Michigan.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's Democratic secretary of state ... Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who moved to Traverse City, Michigan, shortly after his unsuccessful ...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Democratic secretary of ... Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who moved to Traverse City, Michigan, shortly after his unsuccessful ...

Jocelyn Benson announces her run for governor, the state House passes legislation to change the state’s tipped wage and sick time leave laws and state Senate Dems authorize a lawsuit to release bills from last year’s chaotic lame-duck legislative session.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's Democratic secretary of state announced Wednesday that she is running to succeed Gretchen Whitmer as governor in 2026, as the party tries to find its footing after November's significant losses in the battleground state.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is reportedly “taking a serious look” at running for U.S. Senate seat in the battleground state of Michigan in 2026, Axios writes. The seat will be available following the retirement of Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) at the end of his term. Trump won the state in 2024.

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.

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