DETROIT — Last month, Michigan Democrats got some shocking January news for the second time in three years: Their senior U.S. senator wasn’t running for re-election.
Two years ago, it was Debbie Stabenow. This year, Gary Peters, who on Jan. 28, cheerily said “I always knew there would come a time to pass the torch to the next generation … and allow them the opportunity to bring fresh energy and ideas to our nation’s capital.”
Both announcements sent shock waves through and the state’s political establishment, especially the retirement of Mr. Peters. While most had expected Ms. Stabenow to run again, she was in her 70s, and had served four full terms in the Senate.
Gary Peters, however, just finishing his second term, is only 66 (barely middle-aged in today’s political world) and despite a close call in 2020, would have been a considerable favorite to win. Michigan voters haven’t turned a two-term senator out of office in more than half a century, and historical trends indicate 2026 should be a strong Democratic year.
So why is he stepping down?
I don’t know Gary Peters very well, but someone who does told me in December that the senator was thinking about not running, “because he has other things he wants to do with his life, while he is still young enough to do them.” Indeed, the senator said as much on a video announcing his retirement, adding that among other things, he looked forward to “finding endless twisting back roads where I can experience the joy of total freedom riding my Harley- Davidson motorcycle on a warm sunny day.”
The announcement touched off a greater stampede of potential candidates from both parties than Debbie Stabenow’s had in 2023. Then, her fellow Democrats quickly coalesced around Elissa Slotkin. It took some time for Republicans to select Mike Rogers, a former Lansing-area congressman who had to move back from Florida, and who couldn’t match his rival in fund-raising, or votes.
Now, there is no consensus in either party. If there is an early front-runner for the Democratic nomination, it would probably be Pete Buttigieg, the former Secretary of Transportation, an Indiana native and former mayor of South Bend who waged a spirited early campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
“Mayor Pete” moved to Traverse City in July, 2022, the hometown of his husband. Chasten Buttigieg. There is no question that Mr. Buttigieg has name recognition and a national fund-raising network superior to any other candidate.
But it’s uncertain whether Michigan voters would elect a gay man. There have been gay or bisexual women in the Senate, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, but no openly gay man has ever been elected from any state.
Besides, a number of prominent Michigan Democrats are seriously considering running for their party’s nomination, including Congressmen Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids and Haley Stevens of Oakland County.
So is Garlin Gilchrist, the state’s first African-American lieutenant governor, and State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who had a starring role in last year’s Democratic National Convention.
Things were more subdued on the GOP side, probably for several reasons.
One is that there is also going to be an open race for governor, and Republicans have historically done far better winning that office. Democrats have won, after all, the last 10 Michigan senate races in a row, and 15 out of the last 16.
Nevertheless, an open seat is bound to be far more alluring than a race against an incumbent.
Mike Rogers is said to be interested, but he lost an open seat last fall, even as President Trump carried Michigan. John James, a second-term congressman from Macomb County, also was contemplating a run, but he previously lost races for the U.S. Senate to both Ms. Stabenow and Mr. Peters.
More candidates are bound to emerge, and an endorsement from President Trump may play a big role in the end.
Finally, a word about Gary Peters, who was twice rated the most effective U.S. senator by a nonpartisan service. He has been a successful businessman, stockbroker, and lawyer. He’s served on a suburban city council, in the U.S. Navy, the state senate, and both the House and Senate with never the faintest whiff of scandal.
Years ago, a baffled high appointee asked me “Why aren’t they running Gary Peters for President?” The answer, sadly, was that he lacked one essential ingredient: political charisma.
His speeches tend to seem ponderous; his presence doesn’t electrify a room. Rejecting someone because of that may not be sensible, but it is political reality.
And perhaps the best thing you could say about the soon-to-be outgoing senator is that he doesn’t seem to mind a bit.
Jack Lessenberry is a former national editor for The Blade. Contact him at: omblade@aol.com
First Published February 6, 2025, 4:43 a.m.
