U.S. Sen. Gary Peters will not be seeking a third term in 2026, he announced in a video posted online this morning. He said he hopes to spend more time with his family, including his newborn first grandchild.
“At this point in my life, I have been able to write many different chapters, and I look forward to the new ones with both anticipation and excitement,” Peters said in the video. “The most important chapter in my life is still a work in progress. It is one that I cherish every day. I’m a husband, father and now a new grandfather.”
Peters, 66, who first won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 and served there until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2014, will open the second competitive race for a Michigan U.S. Senate seat in two years, following the retirement of former Sen. Debbie Stabenow last year.
It also will mean an extraordinarily rare Michigan election cycle with open seats for governor and U.S. Senate and again give Republicans a huge opportunity to win a U.S. Senate race in Michigan for the first time since 1994.
Newly elected U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin(D-Holly) will become the state’s senior senator upon Peters’ retirement.
Prior to serving in Congress, Peters served in the Michigan Senate from 1995-2002.
