Former presidential candidate and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced he will not run for Michigan’s open Senate seat in 2026.

Buttigieg also ruled out a potential run for Governor of Michigan.

“Though an adopted and relatively new Michigander, it wasn’t long before I was approached about potentially running for office here. Next year will bring elections for the Governor’s office and for one of our state’s seats in the U.S. Senate,” Buttigieg wrote.

“I care deeply about the outcome of both races, but I have decided against competing in either. My party has a deep and talented bench here in Michigan, and I am certain that we will nominate an outstanding candidate for each office,” he added.

“I remain enthusiastic about helping candidates who share our values – and who understand that in this moment, leadership means not only opposing today’s cruel chaos, but also presenting a vision of a better alternative,” Buttigieg wrote on X.

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“While my own plans don’t include running for office in 2026, I remain intensely focused on consolidating, communicating, and supporting a vision for this alternative. The decisions made by elected leaders matter entirely because of how they shape our everyday lives – and the choices made in these years will decide the American people’s access to freedom, security, democracy, and prosperity for the rest of our lifetimes,” he continued.

There is widespread speculation Buttigieg is preparing himself for a 2028 presidential run.

From POLITICO:

Pete Buttigieg is expected to announce Thursday he will not run for Michigan’s open Senate seat, according to a person briefed on his decision, clearing a path for a potential presidential campaign instead.

His decision was framed by several allies and people in his inner circle as putting him in the strongest possible position to seek the presidency, and based on a belief it would be exceedingly difficult to run successive campaigns in 2026 and 2028.

The former Transportation secretary acknowledged recently he had been “looking” at a Senate campaign, including meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss the possibility.

Democrats are scrambling to hold onto the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters in a crucial swing state. Republicans see it as a top pickup opportunity after coming close to flipping the state’s other Senate seat last cycle.

Buttigieg, who ran for president in 2020, moved to Traverse City, Michigan, with his young family, after four years of working in former President Joe Biden’s Cabinet. The workload of Cabinet-related travel — and the prospect of starting a campaign soon after — weighed in his calculus, people close to him said.

Per CNN:

The decision has rattled some Michigan Democrats, who are increasingly anxious about holding onto a Senate seat in a state President Donald Trump won last November.

Senate Democratic leaders and officials involved with their campaign arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, have been privately lobbying Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to run for the seat, according to two people with direct knowledge of the conversations.

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If Whitmer runs, top Democrats believe, she would be their strongest contender to hold the seat for the party. But Whitmer — who is considering a 2028 run for president — is uninterested, according to one of those people.

Other Michigan Democrats, including former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, are now encouraging freshman Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet to run behind the scenes, according to two people familiar with those discussions. The first-term Democrat won a tough battleground seat Trump also carried. And they believe her mid-Michigan district, which is home to the birthplace of General Motors, represents the kinds of working-class voters that their Senate candidate would need to win in 2026.

She would not be the only House Democrat to consider a run. Behind the scenes, Rep. Haley Stevens is also preparing a possible bid if the party doesn’t rally behind another candidate, according to the two people familiar.

 

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