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.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is "seriously focused" on a potential bid for Senate after ruling out a bid for Michigan governor.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced this week he will not seek reelection, setting the stage for a potentially crowded 2026 race.

Buttigieg is reportedly weighing a run for U.S. Senate in the seat that will be vacated by outgoing Democratic Michigan Sen. Gary Peters.

The former transportation secretary had been weighing a run for governor or a 2028 presidential campaign, which he could still pursue.

Multiple Michigan Democrats had identified Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pete Buttigieg as top possible Democratic contenders for the Gary Peters seat.

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.

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.

Mallory McMorrow, a state senator who won national Democratic acclaim in 2022 with a speech defending liberal values while identifying herself as a “straight, white, Christian, married suburban mom,” said she had not ruled out a run for either governor or the Senate.