Pete Buttigieg decides against running for Michigan US senator or governor in 2026
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday morning said he will not run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan or the governorship in the state next year.
Posting on social media platform X, Buttigieg said, "I care deeply about who Michigan will elect as governor and send to the U.S. Senate next year, but I have decided against competing in either race."
"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 continued in his posts. "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 said.
Buttigieg, who lives in Traverse City, had been considered a top contender for the Democratic nomination for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who announced in January that he would not seek a third six-year term in 2026.
The former transportation secretary and former mayor of South Bend, Ind., who ran for president in 2020, was said by sources in late January to be looking seriously at entering the Senate race. He also had been looking at the possibility of running for governor, with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her second and final term.
Polling had indicated Buttigieg could be a formidable candidate for the Senate seat as well, though a poll by EPIC-MRA of Lansing in early February had him trailing Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake, 47%-41%. Rogers lost a close election for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat last year to Democrat Elissa Slotkin and has said he is seriously considering entering the race again for the seat currently held by Peters.
Other Democrats who have said they were looking at entering the race include U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham, a four-term congresswoman who worked for former President Barack Obama; U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, of Royal Oak, who has also given consideration to entering the governor's race. Potential Republican candidates include Rogers — whose campaign said this week that it was bringing on as a senior adviser Chris LaCivita, who served as co-chair of President Donald Trump's winning national campaign last year — and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga of Holland Township, who is also looking at the race. Pundits have also made mention of state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Coldwater, as a possible candidate.
Buttigieg clearly had been giving serious consideration to entering the race, with news outlets, including Politico, citing sources who said he met with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in Washington in late February. An able communicator who often appears on cable TV and who has national name recognition, Buttigieg is also considered by political pundits to be considering another run for the White House in 2028.
Recent polling has shown him to be among the top candidates under consideration for the Democratic nomination in 2028.
Buttigieg is 43 years old and is from Indiana, his parents having taught at Notre Dame University. After attending Harvard and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, he worked for the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and later served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He and his spouse, Chasten Buttigieg, purchased a home in Traverse City a few years ago after Buttigieg became transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden to be closer to Chasten Buttigieg's family. The two adopted newborn twins in 2021.
This story has been updated with new information.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Buttigieg won't run for Michigan US senator or governor in 2026
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