Washington ― Gary Peters, Michigan’s senior senator and a former congressman, said he won’t seek reelection next year and will retire from the U.S. Senate when his second term ends in January 2027.

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.

Democrat Gary Peters' announcement means Michigan will have an open U.S. Senate seat for the second time in two years.