Democratic Sen. Gary Peters from Michigan won't seek re-election when his term is up in January 2027, setting up another important U.S. Senate race.
Peters made the announcement on his YouTube.
The 66-year-old was first elected to the Senate in 2014, replacing retiring Sen. Carl Levin. He defeated Republican Terri Lynn Land in that election and won re-election in 2020 in a close race against current Rep. John James.
He told The Detroit News, which first reported he won't seek reelection, that he's ready to leave public service and move onto a new chapter.
“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” Peters told The Detroit News. “And that goes back to 2008 when I first won that House seat. I thought it would be for a matter of a few terms that I would serve, and then I would go back to private life.”
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Peters noted that he is leaving Congress but is not retiring and plans to help campaign for the next senator.
He has a long history in Michigan politics, serving in the Michigan Senate from 1995 to 2002, the U.S. House from 2009 to 2015 and then the U.S. Senate.
Peters was born in Pontiac and graduated from Rochester High School and Alma College. He's currently the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
“I am leaving Congress, but I am not retiring. I look forward to writing many more chapters when my term ends. I do not know what those chapters will be, but I expect one of them will be me finding endless twisting back roads where I can experience the joy of total freedom riding my Harley Davidson motorcycle on a warm sunny day," Peters said in the announcement.
Democrats will be forced to defend an open Senate seat for the second straight year after Elissa Slotkin defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the 2024 election for an open seat following the retirement of Debbie Stabenow.
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This will set up another important race in 2026 for Michigan, a key battleground state. All three of the state's top positions — governor, attorney general and secretary of state — will be on the ballot, as well as the State House and State Senate.
Three people have already declared for the gubernatorial race: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running as an independent; State Sen. Aris Nesbitt is running as a Republican; and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is running as a Democrat.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Detroit.
