Buttigieg vs Dungy? Big names eye Mich. Senate runs after Gary Peters’ exit

Sen. Gary Peters / (D) – MI: After three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate, I believe now it’s time for me to write a few more paragraphs in my current chapter and then turn over the reins. I will therefore not seek reelection in 2026.

LAUREN TAYLOR: U.S. Senator Gary Peters will not run for reelection next year. 

In an interview with The Detroit News, the 66-year-old Michigan Democrat said he will be leaving the Senate after 12 years in office… putting an open Senate seat into play in a battleground state President Donald Trump won in 2024.

It’s prompting some big names to consider jumping in. But two of the highest-profile potential candidates did some of their most famous work not in Michigan… but in Indiana.

Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is taking a close look at running, according to new reporting from the Detroit Free Press.

But Buttigieg, now a Michigan resident, held his only elected office in the Hoosier State, serving two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

On the Republican side, one Michigan source told The Hill that NBC Sports analyst and former Hall of Fame football coach Tony Dungy, who was born and raised in the state, could be a top candidate on the Republican side.

Dungy saw some of his greatest success as coach of the Indianapolis Colts, leading the team to a Super Bowl win in 2007.

Neither Buttigieg nor Dungy have officially entered the race, with many current and former statewide elected officials also weighing their own bids.

Michigan’s next U.S. senator will likely have less influence on policy and politics than Peters, who chaired the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm for the 2022 and 2024 cycles. He also serves on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which determines what goes into the federal budget, and is the former chair and current ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Peters said he will not run in the open race to become Michigan’s governor next year.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who cannot run for reelection due to term limits, has already said she will not enter the Senate race to fill Peters’ seat.

For Straight Arrow News, I’m Lauren Taylor.

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