Democrats are hoping to undo some Republican wins in 2026…
Former President Biden’s Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is not ruling out a possible Senate run in Michigan in 2026, following Sen. Gary Peters‘ decision not to seek reelection.
“Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve,” a source familiar with the millennial Democrat’s thinking told Fox News Digital.
“He’s honored to be mentioned for this, and he’s taking a serious look.”
Buttigieg’s potential interest in running for Senate was first reported by Axios.
In a video about his choice on Tuesday morning, Peters said, “I always knew there would come a time to pass the torch to the next generation of public servants and allow them the opportunity to bring fresh energy and ideas to our nation’s capital.” (RELATED: Michigan Senator Gary Peters Will Not Seek Reelection, Leaving Key Senate Seat Open)
“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) quickly ruled out a run for Senate in an interview on The View on Tuesday.
“Three letters: N.F.W.,” she said, using an abbreviation for “no way” with an expletive in the middle. “I am not going anywhere. I’ve got two more years on my term. I’ve got a lot of things I want to get done as governor. What comes after that, I don’t know yet. I really don’t.”
The New York Times reported that despite Democrats successfully holding a seat in Michigan last year, when then-Representative Elissa Slotkin defeated former Republican Representative Mike Rogers, the race was among the most closely contested in the nation. Slotkin won by fewer than 20,000 votes, with a margin of roughly 0.3 percentage points.
Following Peters’ announcement, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement, “No Republican has won a Michigan Senate race in 30 years—including last cycle when Democrats won an open Senate seat even as Trump won the state—and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026.”
Representative Bill Huizenga, a Republican who has served in the House since 2011, is considering a run for the open Senate seat, a person with knowledge of his thinking told The New York Times.
Senator Tim Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in an interview that he had been recruiting in Michigan well ahead of Tuesday’s announcement.
“The Democrats have taken minority voters for granted, they took autoworkers for granted and this only gives us more reason to be optimistic,” he said, adding: “The good news is we do have a secret weapon that’s not-so-secret and that’s Donald Trump.”
Also on Tuesday, the Senate confirmed former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) to be the next Transportation secretary, putting him in place to lead the sprawling agency that oversees air travel, highways, pipelines and railroads.
President Trump’s Cabinet nominee received bipartisan backing and was confirmed Tuesday with a 77-22 vote.
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Buttigieg isn’t a resident of Michigan. Never has been as far as I know. He’s been in Washington DC the last four years. He was the mayor of South Bend INDIANA before that.
Unfortunately, there is time for him to establish a “residence” in Michigan before that election. Think Hillary and New York …
Former President Biden’s Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, having demonstrated his incompetence in running the DOT, sees that a justification for possibly running for senator. Not surprisingly, there will be those in Michigan who could vote for him …
Pete Buttigieg did not do well as a mayor in South Bend, Indiana, and he was terrible as the Transportation Secretary with the O’Biden administration. Heaven forbid that someone would think that he would be a good US Senator.
If Michigan knows what is good for them, they should consider anyone but Buttigieg. My impression of him as the Transportation Secretary is that he didn’t do anything but react to serious transportation issues. He hung his hat on worthless projects that benefitted the Green New Mob and not what was best for the country. He is just another leftist trying to pretend that he is someone important. Don’t let him snow the public again.