Report: Buttigieg Pondering Michigan Senate Run After Gary Peters Retirement
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) announced he won’t seek a third term in 2026, opening a seat in a potential battleground state.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) announced he won’t seek a third term in 2026, opening a seat in a potential battleground state.
“After three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate, I believe now is time for me to write a few more paragraphs in my current chapter and then turn over the reins,” said Peters.
“I will therefore not seek reelection in 2026.”
President Donald Trump won Michigan in November, 49.73% to 48.31%.
Oh, it gets better.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg supposedly wants to run for the future empty seat. From Axios:
Why it matters: Buttigieg would bring his national fundraising network to what is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate races in the country.
- “Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve,” said a person close to Buttigieg.
- “He’s honored to be mentioned for this and he’s taking a serious look.”
What he’s saying: “Senator Gary Peters has served with great integrity, focus, and expertise. It was a pleasure working with him as Secretary to deliver good policies for our country and key transportation projects in Michigan,” Buttieg posted today on X.
Buttigieg comes from South Bend, IN, but recently said he wants to move to Michigan.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Ways to serve what?
It’s a cookbook.
Or a book cook.
That’s what he’s pondering.
French Fries.
ButtHead is hoping to get on the gravy train.
tailhook is toast
What’s his “national fundraising network” — Tupperware?
I was a little mystified as to how a guy who didn’t do anything for 4 years has a national fundraising network then remembered someone dropped over $1 Billion on Kamala so it is possible.
Butteig was a complete dunce / FU as sec of “trans” or is that transportation?
He barely qualified as a mayor.
Senator Buttgig? Will the circus ever end? I hope not!
.
Adam Schiff. Just moved up to the Senate, so why not Buttplug.
He’s didn’t do anything and he transported himself via SUV and a bicycle.
Will Michigan vote for such an obviously opportunistic cartpetbagger? Especially this particularly ineffective one with a record of undermining the auto industry for ‘green’ utopia BS?
IDK. It’s a good question. It will probably depend on what Whitmer does (if she chooses to run herself or if she endorses him, early). Whitmer’s overwhelming reelection a couple years ago was something of an outlier. While the other Dems on that ballot in statewide races won as well, the margins were smaller. The other Senate contests the last dozen years have become increasingly competitive for Republicans. John James almost pulled it out in 2020, losing by just a point and of course, last year’s MI Senate race was even closer.
I hope Mike Rogers doesn’t run again because I don’t think he’s any kind of prize for conservatives. James would be my preference and he’d probably do even better now that he will have been a two-term Congressman.
James made competitive runs twice but I was under the impression that Rogers was much closer. I don’t know enough about Michigan politics to have an informed opinion on potential candidates. James might be able to make it work this time but maybe he’s lacking something to close.the sale statewide?
just take a look at Michigan’s Governor,..if they keep electing her, Pete is a shoe in!
South Bend is hardly carpetbagging. It’s practically in Michigan already. Depending on where in South Bend he lives now, he might only have to move across the street to be in Michigan. More likely he’d have to move a mile or two to cross the state line, and if he’s already moving he might as well move the 50 miles or so (as the crow flies) to Kalamazoo. But my point is it’s not really carpetbagging when you’re a next door neighbor anyway. Like moving between the two Kansas Cities in order to be in the right state.
Going from one State to another for the express purpose of running for Senate is definitely cartpetbagging IMO. If the guy had chosen to move to Michigan for whatever other normal reason then after a.few years say in 28 a Senate seat was opening up then maybe.
Again IMO he ain’t choosing to try his electoral luck statewide in Indiana Senate b/c:
1. No open seat, and baring upheaval won’t be
2. Next election in Indiana is ’28
3. Both Indiana US.Senators are GoP
4. Indiana went for Trump by 19 points (59/40) over Harris
IOW there’s no realistic path for him to win a Senate Seat in his own State of Indiana. That being the case him moving to another State with better odds for him to win an election sure as hell says cartpetbagger to me.
How is it different from moving to a neighboring legislative or congressional district in order to run there? (Many states require legislators to live in their district; cf the current constitutional crisis in Minnesota, caused by a DFL candidate who lied about his residence.)
It isn’t different. IMO, the essence of political cartpetbagging is a self serving relocation from X jurisdiction to Y jurisdiction b/c Y jurisdiction offers a better opportunity for personal political advancement than X.
But what is wrong with that? Why on earth would anyone object to it? It’s completely normal and expected for political candidates to do that.
The term “carpetbagger” only arose in the Reconstruction South, when Democrats who were deprived of the vote would see northern Republicans arrive with their carpetbags knowing nothing about their district, despising its white population and having nothing in common with them, and get the black population, who were the only ones allowed to vote, to elect them to represent the district. These Republicans probably represented the interests of the black voters very well, but from the white racist Democrat point of view that only made them worse. So they invented this term of abuse for them.
None of that applies when the candidate is coming from the district next door, whose culture and interests are exactly the same as those of this district, and is therefore exactly as fit to represent the district as someone who just happens to live on the right side of the line.
If the political ‘interests’ of the electorate in IN were the same as MI then they wouldn’t be separate, sovereign States each with their own set of US Senators.
He is considering abandoning Indiana, moving to Michigan to run for Senate b/c he would almost certainly face defeat in Indiana. If this was.about ‘public service’ or serving the people of his own State he would stay in IN.
IOW he is a political cartpetbagger and this phrase has long been in use outside the context of Reconstruction.
Michigan’s interests can be represented just as easily by someone from South Bend as they can by someone from just up the road in Kalamazoo. There is no difference. MI and IN as a whole might have slightly different interests, though I doubt it, but a person from either side of the border could represent each state just as well. That’s just pure common sense. There is nothing about the border that would make people on either side of it different.
And no, “carpetbagging” has never had any meaning apart from the Reconstruction. It’s a Reconstruction term that has lingered in our political lexicon to mean someone who has nothing in common with a district parachuting in and offering to represent it.
There is nothing wrong with this. There never was, even in Reconstruction. If the voters are OK with it then it’s fine. But voters are likely not to be OK with it, so it’s a big risk. In a case like this, though, where the candidate has everything in common with the voters, the term is inapplicable, just as it is completely inapplicable when moving to a nearby legislative district.
Milhouse,
You are absolutely entitled to form, hold and express your opinion about whether political cartpetbagging, such as Buttigieg is clearly contemplating here, is a big deal, not a big deal, unremarkable or otherwise.
Hilary Clinton going to NY State then ‘running’ for Senate was political cartpetbagging and was spoken about that way at the time, at least in my own circles and news sources. Perhaps the term is more commonly used down South than in your experience in NYC.
I imagine the voters in Michigan would like to think their situation is special and unique. For one thing, they have what might be the largest and most politically active concentration of Muslim immigrants. Add in being a rust belt state, not to mention the U of Michigan having to face Ohio State on the football field every fall, and you can see the recipe of disaster unfolding!
Michigan voters would have nothing lesss in common with a candidate from South Bend than with one from, for example, Kalamazoo. The Moslem population of Detroit’s south-western suburbs is not significantly closer to Kalamazoo than it is to South Bend, and has no more impact on it.
I’ll tell them. They’ll be thrilled to hear there is nothing special about them.
There is nothing special about living on one side of an arbitrary line rather than the other. It is purely an administrative division, completely artificial; its only significance is legal, not cultural.
Word is he and his wifey are looking to move to the UP not lower Michigan for some reason or other. Having been there a vast number of times it’s very nice but not a large population.
I’m not sure that he will. I doubt the large Muslim population is going to vote for an openly gay guy. Black men aren’t all in on gay men either so it will be a tough sell.
Isn’t Buttigieg from Indiana? I suppose the dope wants to simply waltz into Michigan, the way Arkansas crone-hustler, Clinton, waltzed into New York and became the crone from Chappaqua, and, absurdly, U.S. Senator for New York.
Yes. Former Mayor of South Bend.
South Bend is practically in Michigan. It literally touches the state line.
Even with close geographical proximity, Buttigieg is still carpet-bagging. He has no roots, personal or business ties in Michigan.
Even if that were true, which it is not, what difference would it make which side of an imaginary line his “roots, personal, or business ties” were? How would moving across the street change anything significant?
His partner is from Traverse City and has family there. He and Pete built a home in the area.
Thanks for the info. I guess Pete has worn out his welcome, in Indiana.
Why would you guess that? Based on what evidence? You have no reason to suppose that he is not as popular in South Bend as ever.
He is perfectly positioned for peters.
The problem for Butti is that he was so incompetent as Secretary of Transportation that, for the first time, regular folks actually knew who filled the position.
Good luck with that. Can’t really run on his record. Or maybe he can, in MI.
Pete wants to move to Michigan? Really ?No! Pete digs D.C. and doesn’t want to move from D.C.
If the Michigan voters fall for that one, then I have a really nice bridge to sell them.
Not even a resident of Michigan? The Hubris is strong with this one.
To the champions of national (as opposed to federal) government, states don’t mean nothing but lines on a map. Congressional district lines mean more.
Seriously?! Are you seriously saying there’s a significant difference between living on one side of a state line and the other?! Why would anyone care about that? Life on one side of the MI-IN line is exactly the same as life on the other; the culture is the same, everything is the same, so why would moving across the line to run for the senate be viewed any differently from moving into a neighboring district to run from there? (Which you don’t have to do for Congress, but you do for most state legislatures, and it’s politically good to do it for Congress too, and no one calls you a “carpetbagger” for it.)
“Are you seriously saying there’s a significant difference between living on one side of a state line and the other?! Why would anyone care about that?”
I want to see you ask that to a tax collector, a poll worker, or a cop stopping you while armed.
None of these are culturally significant in any way. They are merely legal boundaries, relevant only for the application of the law.
“Carpetbagger” is of course not a legal term; there is no legal reason whatsoever why a person should not move from Hawaii to Maine in order to run for office. It is a cultural term, a term of abuse for someone who parachutes into a community about which he knows nothing, to which he has no connection, with which he has no affinity, and offers to represent it.
Although this is a perfectly valid offer, many voters will be inclined to reject it. If the person is elected, then obviously the votes were happy with him and there is no further reason to object. But there is a high likelihood that enough voters will object that the person won’t win. That is all.
It should be completely obvious that a short move across an imaginary line, whether it is from one state to another or from one district to another, between communities that are absolutely identical in every way that matters, is not “carpetbagging”. There is simply no reason at all why a voter on one side of a street would object to being represented by someone who just moved from the other side of the street.
“Seriously?! Are you seriously saying there’s a significant difference between living on one side of a state line and the other?!”
In some cases there is a vast difference. Residents to the immediate east, west and south of NH save a lot of money by shopping in a state with no sales tax and the lower cost of everything is why a large number of MA residents move to southern NH and commute to Boston Metro for work.
ButtHead’s sexual deventicy will not be welcomed by many in Michigan.
I am reacting to all the BS, as long as deviants keep it to themselves and consenting adults, they can do what they want. The loud mouthed entitlement attitude has really pissed me off.
Doesn’t matter to me who he sleeps with but I bet it does to Dearbornistan. He better have some pretty good polling to take that into account. Maybe he thinks Ann Arbor will negate the muslim vote.
Mayor Pete loves trains!
He loves trains. He has had role played both as conductor, locomotive and caboose. Not necessarily in that order.
As long as he doesn’t play a cowcatcher.
Wait. Cows are… never mind.
Buttigieg – is he capable of doing anything? How do these people get elected? Oh,,,,, cheating?
Really, IF even federal elections can require a Photo ID to vote, Rs will get larger majorities. Based on 8 years inside elections, yep, Ds will lose big time.
Yes, he is capable of getting elected. He was elected mayor of a sizeable town, so he’s probably capable of winning a senate election too. It’s not nearly as complicated as running a federal government department, which he has shown us he can’t do, and should probably not attempt again. He has found his level of incompetence, so he would be well advised to stay just below it.
I think the original question expressed a “conditional probability.” That is, is he capable of getting elected NOW THAT people are aware of his performance in his previous positions? I hear he wasn’t Mister Popularity by the end of his term as Mayor of Great Bend, either,
He has NOTHING to offer for any job but his bu**-kissing skills. (I mean that in a political way.) He has literally no job skills or expertise to offer anyone except to grift in politics. NOTHING. Like so many in politics/government.
Um, what other skills does a senator need?
And the point goes right over your head.
What point? If that is his only job skill then it’s completely understandable why he would apply for a job where that is the only skill needed. Should he rather apply for a job where that skill is of no use and other skill that he doesn’t have are needed? He tried that with the Transportation Department and look what happened. He shouldn’t try that again.
I thought he was ain Indiana resident.
There are these things called moving trucks. He’s practically in Michigan already; it’s a simple thing to find a home on the other side of the state line.
Ah, for the days when you could achieve that with a collection of used sandals.
True, though Michigan appears to have a 2 year residency requirement for Statewide offices. There wasn’t any distinction made between State and Federal office. Michigan D/prog party also requires candidates to adhere to ‘State Election laws’ which seems to suggest that to run as a d/prog a candidate would need to met the 2 year residency requirement. That’s about five minutes of internet searching so take it for what that is/isn’t worth.
Political party can and have added other internal party specific requirements to qualify as a candidate for the political party. Usually those are upheld when challenged b/c a political party is a private org, as such can set its own rules/procedures which a potential candidate can avoid by choosing another party or run an independent campaign.
The state law can’t apply to federal office, and therefore doesn’t. The constitution doesn’t allow it to. The D rule merely says candidates must comply with state law; since the state law doesn’t apply to federal candidates, therefore in running without 2 years’ residence he would be in compliance with state law, and thus also with the D Party rule.
Try again. I didn’t make the claim that the residency requirement was an additional qualification to run for or hold office.
I made.the claim that the d/prog Political Party mandates that persons seeking to become a CANDIDATE for their Political Party must abide by State Laws. One of which is a 2 year residency requirement for Statewide office and a 1 year residency for other offices.
So long as he chooses to run an independent campaign or compete for the ballet line of a political party that doesn’t have the same requirement then he isn’t subject to it…but if I chooses to compete for the d/prog ballot line then he IS.
For that matter if a particular political party set a requirement to run a mile under five minutes to become qualified to compete for the nomination of their party then that’s fine.
A political party is a private org. He is free to seek a different party or no party at all. It is his choice but if he wants to compete for their nomination he must conform to their rules.
I read your claim correctly. What you seem to have missed is that state law doesn’t have a residency requirement for federal office. It doesn’t because it can’t. The constitution doesn’t allow it to.
Therefore there is no state law that he can’t run for senate. So he is in full compliance with state law. And that is all that the D rule requires, so he’s in compliance with that too.
Nope. You are missing the point. Lets review.
State law says a candidate for Statewide office mist have had the immediate two years prior to election as a resident.
There is no distinction made between State office and Federal office.
The d/prog party of Michigan has a bylaw that requires candidates who seek the nomination of the d/prog Party to comply with State laws.
That VOLUNTARY act by the d/prog Party has thus incorporated the State law requiring 2 years of residency.
This doesn’t even get to a Constitutional question b/c it is a.voluntary action by a private organization which applies only to its own membership. No candidate is required to seek the d/prog Party nomination and comply with the bylaws of the d/prog Party but if they do seek the nomination of this private organization they must comply.
He’ll bend over to to show how effective his 4 years of male maternity leave made the country stronger
Note that a senator only has to be a resident of the state from which he’s elected on election day. He can move there the day before, and he can move out the day after. Everything else is politics, not law; whatever the voters are fine with is fine.
Between him and Whitmer I’d rather have him. For one thing he’s a lot less competent. And less frightening.
Amending the constitution to allow for the popular election of senators was as disastrous as the amendment allowing women to vote.
I suppose you’re right, in that both amendments were good and right and neither one resulted in any disaster, but have proved a good litmus test for detecting kooks and bigots.
Actually the amendment allowing senators to be selected by popular vote is a huge disaster. The House is supposed to represent the people while the Senate is supposed to represent the state. Senators have become no better than House members who promise to pay voters for their votes. At least when senators are selected by state representatives they are much more likely to adhere to the wishes of any given state.
The people are the state. There is no other meaning to “the state”. The legislators are not the state, they merely represent the state, just as the senators do.
That is the whole reason whythe Philadelphia convention decided to have the new constitution enacted by “we, the people of the united states”, rather than by the legislatures of the united states.
You have that exactly backwards. When they were elected by a handful of legislators they could easily buy votes. Being elected by millions of people makes it almost impossible to buy enough votes to ensure election. You have to come by most of your votes honestly, by making promises that appeal to the voters. Which is what candidates are supposed to do.
By being elected directly by the state senators are more likely to represent the state’s wishes than when they were elected by people who were themselves elected by the state. But legislators, including senators, are never supposed to “adhere” to anyone’s wishes. They are elected to exercise their own judgment, not to be guided by polls. That’s why they have the six-year term, so they don’t have to worry about voters’ opinions until the last year or two. And that applies equally whether those voters are state legislators or the people themselves.
If South Bend is on the border of Michigan, why does he want to move to Michigan? What is the purpose?
Looking forward to your answer, Milhouse.
To run for the senate, of course. What’s wrong with that? No reasonable person could possibly have any objection whatsoever, and anyone pretending to find it wrong is just being dishonest, because they would not raise the objection if they liked him.
It’s called being a carpetbagger. You can’t move from an adjoining state and honestly claim to represent the interests of the new state overnight.
Not unless you view the states as simply administrative zones of the national government. Which they are not and should not be.
Sure you can, and it is not called carpetbagging, any more than moving to a nearby district has ever been called that. Moving to a nearby district is completely normal and expected, and moving across a state line is exactly the same.
If there were a proposed Constitutional Amendment requiring candidates for Congress and Senate to have maintained their primary residence in the jurisdiction they want to represent for at least as long as a full term in that office, what % of Americans would support it? >98% probably, yeah?
The only people opposed would be those like Buttplug here who wants to move to a new State, establish residency, and run for Senate immediately.
Call it the “No Carpet Baggers” Amendment.
Want to run for Congress? You have to have lived in that District for 2+ years. Senate? Must have lived in that State for 6+.
Bonus: Add a requirement that all candidates for Congressmen and Senators must prove they were US citizens at birth in order to have their name on the ballot.
Ought to be a way for citizens to propose Constitutional Amendments by Referendum. We need an Amendment to add this to Article V.
The only people opposed to this also happen to have 100% control over the process.
Ditto an Amendment to add Term Limits for both Congressmen and Senators. This would easily be the most widely support bi-partisan Amendment ever, but it can’t even get started because the targets of it control the process.
Those would be stupid amendments. All of them.
Dear God, please save my state from this carpet bagging imbecile.
Why? How is he worse than Whitmer, or Peters, or Stabenow, or the Levin brothers, or all the other wonderful treasures your state has elected?