Pete Buttigieg Won’t Run for Senate, Stoking Speculation on 2028 Presidential Campaign

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is forgoing a Senate bid in Michigan, sparking rumors that he is instead eyeing yet another presidential run in 2028.

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was eyeing the open Senate seat in Michigan after Democrat Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) revealed he would not to seek reelection. Following the senator’s January announcement, a source told CNN that Buttigieg was taking a “serious look” at making a run for the open seat. However, he has now officially declined to run in Michigan.

“I care deeply about who Michigan will elect as Governor and send to the U.S. Senate next year, but I have decided against competing in either race,” Buttigieg announced Thursday morning.

“I remain enthusiastic about helping candidates who share our values — and who understand that in this moment, leadership means not only opposing today’s cruel chaos, but also presenting a vision of a better alternative,” he continued:

While my own plans don’t include running for office in 2026, I remain intensely focused on consolidating, communicating, and supporting a vision for this alternative. The decisions made by elected leaders matter entirely because of how they shape our everyday lives — and the choices made in these years will decide the American people’s access to freedom, security, democracy, and prosperity for the rest of our lifetimes.

“Today, our country is demonstrably less free, less secure, less democratic — and less prosperous — than it was just ten weeks ago,” he wrote in his lengthier explanation.

Buttigieg is not the only Democrat rumored to quietly toy with the idea of a 2028 presidential bid. Former Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), has continued to fuel these rumors, telling New Yorker Radio Hour that he will do “whatever it takes.”

“Look, I never had an ambition to be president or vice president. I was honored to be asked,” he said. “If I feel I can serve, I will. And if nationally, people are like, ‘Dude we tried you, and look how that worked out,’ I’m good with that.”

He continued, “If I think I could offer something… I would certainly consider that… I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Walz only added to the speculation by announcing the launch of a national town hall tour in Republican-controlled House districts.

“I’m hitting the road, traveling to red states across the country to lend a megaphone to the people,” he announced. “Your congressman may not want to listen, but they’re going to hear from us anyway.”

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