Two-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ decision not to seek reelection means even more political upheaval in Michigan, which already has a competitive open governor contest.
Given that Peters was coming off two terms as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and is only 66, the announcement was a surprise. One source told us Peters had been looking for a campaign manager for a reelection only weeks ago. The early announcement is reminiscent of Debbie Stabenow, the other veteran Michigan senator, who announced her retirement early in 2023, opening up the first vacancy of that cycle. Stabenow was 72 at the time of her decision.
Even so, both sides have deep benches and ambitious candidates at the ready. And given that the filing deadline is still over a year away, the field could be unsettled for a while.
The bad news for Democrats is that their strongest potential candidate, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was quick to take her name out of the mix. Her PAC issued a statement Tuesday morning saying that she “is not running for this seat in the
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