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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is reportedly expected to announce that he won't run for Michigan's open Senate seat, instead leaving the door open for a potential 2028 presidential campaign, a person briefed on his decision confirmed to Politico.
Buttigieg's reported decision was framed by several allies and those within his inner circle as putting him in the strongest position to potentially run for the Democratic presidential nomination, as it would be far more difficult to have successive campaigns in 2026 and 2028. The 43-year-old had publicly acknowledged that he was "looking" at a Senate campaign and discussed the possibility during a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Buttigieg, who previously served as the mayor of his native South Bend, Indiana, ran for president in 2020, becoming the first openly gay man to launch a Democratic presidential campaign, before dropping out and endorsing eventual President Joe Biden, who gave him a cabinet position. Democrats are looking to fill Michigan's Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters after Republicans nearly flipped the swing state's other Senate seat in 2024, with Democrat Elissa Slotkin defeating Republican Mike Rogers by a 48.64% to 48.30% margin.
Buttigieg, who moved his family to Traverse City, Michigan, after four years in the Biden administration, also reportedly ruled out running for Michigan governor.