Michigan’s Senate seat is up for grabs, and it’s shaping up to be a fiercely competitive race — even without Pete Buttigieg in the mix.
“I care deeply about the outcome of both races, but I have decided against competing in either,” the former transportation secretary wrote in a post on Thursday. “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.”
The New York Times reported that Buttigieg is eyeing a 2028 bid for the White House.
Multiple high-profile Democrats from the battleground state have thrown their names in the ring for the 2026 Michigan senate race, which could decide Republicans’ margin of control in the Senate.
On Thursday, Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow suggested she may join the race soon.
“Thank you to everyone encouraging me to run for Senate,” she wrote on X. “I’ll have more to share soon.”
Rep. Haley Stevens, who has represented the state’s 11th district in the House of Representatives for four terms, hired additional staff that could be part of a future campaign team, people familiar with her operations told Politico.
Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet is also considering a run, The Detroit News reported on Thursday.
President Donald Trump narrowly won the state by 1.4% in 2024. So far, Trump hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the race. But familiar names have begun popping up. Mike Rogers, who lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024, announced his intentions to run again.
“Since receiving more votes than any other Republican candidate that has ever run for Senate in Michigan, the tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement I’ve received since November proves that our mission to send a real fighter to the US Senate has just begun,” he said in a statement on his campaign X account in January.
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Tinashe Chingarande is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.