Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan plans to retire in January 2027 instead of seeking a third term, a major development in a swing state.
Mr. Peters said it was time for him to move onto a “new chapter” that includes spending more time with a new grandchild who lives on the West Coast and charting new paths on his Harley-Davidson.
“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation,” Mr. Peters, who previously served in the House, told The Detroit News, which reported the decision Tuesday. “I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life.”
Mr. Peters, 66, was first elected to the Senate in 2014. He said it’s “pretty normal for everybody to say, I’ve done a job, and I’m proud of the job I did, but there are other things I want to do in my life.”
The decision could make it harder for Democrats to keep the seat in their column during the 2026 midterm elections. Michigan is a battleground that Democrats lost to President Trump at the top of the ticket in November, even as Democrat Elissa Slotkin won an open race for the state’s other Senate seat.
Republicans said Mr. Peters is moving on because his political path is too difficult.
“Gary Peters is reading the room. After spending years ignoring illegal immigration and destroying his state’s auto industry, Michigan is better off without him,” said Sen. Tim Scott, the South Carolina Republican who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Mr. Peters’ pending departure could give Michigan less sway in the Senate, though Mr. Peters insisted there is more work to do.
“We have issues related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, natural disasters, cybersecurity to border security, and I’m intimately involved in all these issues, and we’ll continue to do that,” he said. “The great thing is this really allows me to just be completely, completely focused on the day-to-day work that I do as a U.S. senator and fight for issues that are important to people here in Michigan.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.