Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who spearheaded the Democratic campaign in the Senate for the previous two election cycles, has declared that he will not run for a third term in 2026, opening up a fiercely contested battleground seat that both major political parties are likely to pursue.

The 66-year-old’s shocking decision on Tuesday to resign after only two terms is unexpected and presents a challenge for Michigan Democrats at a time of upheaval, as they will probably have to split their strong bench between the 2026 Senate and gubernatorial contests.

“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 in an interview published Tuesday.

“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. I want to be very clear: I’m not retiring. I’m just not running for reelection in the Senate. I hope, God willing, I have a lot more good years ahead,” Peters added.

“After three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate, I believe now is time for me to write a few more paragraphs in my current chapter and then turn over the reins,” Peters said in a YouTube video. “I will therefore not seek reelection in 2026.”

After President Donald Trump won Michigan in the 2024 election, Peters’ choice makes it more difficult for Democrats to retake the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority, by forcing them to defend a crucial Senate seat in Michigan without the benefit of an incumbent.

Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. transportation secretary who recently relocated to Michigan, is anticipated to be one of the names most frequently mentioned for the role.

Democrats are facing the difficult task of defending an open Senate seat in Michigan, a state that Republican Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election, for the second consecutive cycle.

Many onlookers were taken aback when longtime senator Debbie Stabenow declared she would not run for a fifth term in 2024. By a slim margin, Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin retained that seat for the party.

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Peters, a moderate and mild-mannered politician, was first elected to the Senate in 2014 after serving three terms in the U.S. House. He chaired the Senate Homeland Security Committee from 2021 to 2025 and is currently the ranking member on the committee, in addition to spearheading the Senate Democrats’ campaign from 2021 until earlier this year.

Many Democrats praised Peters for helping the party achieve a strong showing in the 2022 midterm elections by securing control of the Senate through a series of fiercely contested races. However, two years later, Democrats lost their majority in the upper house when Republicans won several fiercely contested seats.

A significant state midterm election is scheduled as a result of Peters’ decision. The race to succeed Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, whose term is limited, is already underway.

Following the 2024 election, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan declared his intention to run as an independent for governor. Aric Nesbitt, the Republican leader of the state Senate, and Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic secretary of state, have also started campaigns.

The vacant Senate seat is expected to stoke speculation about a potential bid by the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg, who has been receiving calls from Democrats regarding a run for governor. Immediately following his failed 2020 presidential campaign, Buttigieg relocated to Michigan.