Michigan Sen. Gary Peters says he thinks it's time to turn over the reins so he won't be seeking a third term in 2026.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she will not run for the open U.S. Senate that will be vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters.

It's no secret that change is sweeping through Michigan’s political landscape in a way that stirs conversation at every gathering. Second-term U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced Tuesday that he will not run for reelection in the 2026 midterm election.

They will need to defend an open seat in a battleground state that President Trump carried in 2024. And Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ruled out a run.

His unexpected retirement in the battleground states comes in an already difficult Senate cycle for Democrats.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, leaving Congress at the end of his second term and opening up a highly competitive battleground Senate seat.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters won’t seek reelection in next year, opening up a key seat in a swing state won twice by Donald Trump.

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.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who led the Democrats’ Senate campaign efforts the past two election cycles, has announced he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating a highly contested battleground seat expected to be coveted by both major political parties.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) will not seek reelection in 2026, unexpectedly leaving an open seat in the swing state as Democrats already face a tough road to reclaim the majority.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters won’t run for re-election in Michigan in 2026, creating a pivotal open Senate seat in one of the most tightly divided battleground states in the U.S.

After Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) announced Tuesday he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, Michigan got another hotly contested open seat for the 2026 elections. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) is term-limited,