Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow became the first Democrat to announce her candidacy for retiring U.S. Sen. Gary Peters’s (D-MI) seat Wednesday. The race is expected to be one of the most hotly contested in the 2026 elections.
In announcing her Senate bid Wednesday, McMorrow took aim at President Donald Trump and pushed for new leaders in Washington, D.C., acknowledging her party’s low favorability ratings.
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We need new leaders in Washington. I’m running for Senate to be one. Let’s go. pic.twitter.com/D6Fb1vcDuy
— Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) April 2, 2025
“We need new leaders. Because the same people who got us into this mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it. I’m Mallory McMorrow. And yes, I am running for U.S. Senate because we don’t have a moment to wait,” she said in her announcement video posted to X.
McMorrow is the only major Democratic candidate who has announced her candidacy for the key Senate race, while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has ruled out a 2026 run. Other Democrats reportedly considering runs for the seat include Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
No major Republicans have officially announced their candidacy, but former Rep. Mike Rogers, who ran for Senate in 2024, has teased a run for the upcoming open seat. The seat is expected to be a top GOP target in the 2026 election, alongside Georgia’s Democrat-held Senate seat.
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She was first elected to the Michigan Senate in 2018 and won reelection in 2022. She gained national prominence after a speech on the Senate floor went viral in Democratic circles, where she defended herself against a GOP accusation that she wanted to “groom” and “sexualize” kindergartners. Her profile rose further when she rallied against Project 2025 during last year’s Democratic National Convention.
The Senate race in the Great Lakes State is rated as a “toss up” by the Cook Political Report.