With the 2024 election cycle behind us, Michigan politicos have their sights set on the state and national seats that will be up for grabs come 2026. In addition to open races for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, Michigan will have a vacant Senate seat available after Democrat Senator Gary Peters announced this week that he will not seek reelection.
As Democrats look to solidify Gretchen Whitmer’s progressive legacy, Republicans are eager to win back control of their state. Both parties have reason to hope: President Donald Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris by 1.4 points in the battleground state this fall, but Democrat Senator Elissa Slotkin edged out Republican candidate Mike Rogers by 0.3 points.
It remains to be seen whether this mismatched outcome was a sign of conservative resurgence in Michigan — and a lasting Republican realignment sparked by Trump — or a one-off underperformance by Democrats peddling “brat” to Rust Belt union workers. A lot can happen in two years. And with so many open seats, Michigan’s 2026 election could come down to strategically running the right candidates for the right roles.
Race for the Governor’s Mansion
Several individuals have already put in early bids to succeed Whitmer as governor. Republican state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt is the first Republican to launch a campaign, though former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has formed a campaign committee for a potential run.
Both men have years of experience in Michigan politics. Nesbitt has held leadership roles during his time in both branches of the Michigan legislature, and he served in Gov. Rick Snyder’s cabinet. And Cox was a Detroit-area prosecutor before serving as attorney general from 2003-2011. He previously ran for governor in 2010, earning 23 percent of the primary vote.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced her gubernatorial aspirations last week, though her roll-out was plagued by missteps. Benson announced her campaign to run for governor in the lobby of a government building, violating state law “prohibit[ing] government officials from using public resources for political activities.” The Michigan Republican Party has filed a complaint calling for immediate investigation.
Then, on Jan. 23, Star Trek actor George Takei endorsed Benson for “Governor of Minnesota,” expressing confidence that “she will tackle the challenges facing Minnesota with the same determination and spirit she exhibits as Minnesota’s Secretary of State.” Takei subsequently corrected his Facebook post, but the damage was done.
So far, Benson does not face challengers in the primary race — in no small part due to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s decision to run for governor as an independent, not a Democrat. The popular Motor City mayor is betting that the political strategy that has helped him revitalize Detroit can appeal to state-wide voters.
Duggan is no conservative and has supported Whitmer and other Democrats. But he has navigated the demands of his former party’s leftward vanguard with caution, notably maintaining support for law enforcement amid popular calls to defund the police. “I angered some in my own party by giving Detroit police officers a well-deserved $10,000 raise and putting 300 more officers on the street,” Duggan said. Just this week, he angered progressives again by committing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s actions to combat illegal immigration.
The first white mayor of Detroit since the 1970s, Duggan has coaxed the city back to life from its 2013 bankruptcy. Last year, the city saw its first population increase since 1957. Safe to say, Duggan is doing something right — and Michigan residents in both parties have taken note.
Jostling for the Open Senate Seat
Though other Michigan politicians were rumored to be considering a gubernatorial run, some have shifted attention to the U.S. Senate after Gary Peters announced that he will retire at the end of his term.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has not made any formal decisions regarding the upcoming election cycle, but his 2020 move from Indiana to Northern Michigan was seen by many as a strategic relocation with an eye toward his political future. First rumored to be a gubernatorial contender, Buttigieg is now “taking a serious look” at running for Senate.
Should he run, however, “Mayor Pete” may fail to connect with Michigan voters. Not only is he a recent transplant to the state, but his progressive social values are far out of step with those of most rural Michiganders. An example? The famous 2021 photo of Pete and Chasten Buttigieg posing in a hospital bed as if one of them had delivered the twins they adopted.
And, on the policy front, Buttigieg’s support for electric vehicles as part of the Biden administration is likely to be a liability in a state where Motor City often determines elections. Not to mention, Detroit auto workers weren’t impressed by him in a recent union hall meeting when Buttigieg couldn’t answer the worker who asked, “Now that you’re a Michigander, who do the Lions play Sunday?”
Among politicians with experience in the state, Whitmer has indicated that she is not interested in running for the open seat. But Democrats who have served alongside her are considering the position. Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II is reportedly eyeing the seat, though he was previously rumored as a potential gubernatorial candidate. Should he run for Senate, Gilchrist would receive sizeable financial backing from the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel — best known outside the state for shrieking at the DNC that the Supreme Court can “pry this wedding ring off of my cold, dead, gay hands” — is a potential contender for the seat as well. And state Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow, another DNC media darling, has “not ruled out a run for either governor or the Senate.”
On the Republican side, Mike Rogers may reprise his campaign after a marginal loss to Elissa Slotkin this November. The Daily Signal reported that Rogers is “taking an increased look” at the opportunity.
A reporter for the Hill shared on X/Twitter that a GOP source shared four possible contenders: Rogers, Rep. Bill Huizenga, Rep. John James, and former Colts head coach Tony Dungy. Huizenga has served in Congress since 2011 following three terms as a state representative. James is beginning his second term in the House of Representatives after running for Senate twice. In 2020, he ran a competitive race against the incumbent Peters, losing by only 1.7 points. And Dungy, who led the Colts to a Super Bowl victory, would be a true dark horse contender for the seat.
Playing Party Politics
Peters’s decision not to seek reelection comes just one cycle after Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s retirement. Stabenow, a four-term senator, carefully engineered the transfer of power from retiring Michigan senators — including herself — to avoid messy primary battles and preserve Democrat dominance.
When Sen. Carl Levin retired in 2013 after 34 years in the Senate, he and Stabenow endorsed Peters to fill the open seat more than a year before the primary, before any other Democrat launched a campaign. Receiving the early nod from party leaders, Peters was unopposed in the 2014 primary election.
Then, upon Stabenow’s retirement, she used the same strategy, “personally steer[ing] several of those interested in taking her Mitten State seat toward different positions that will soon open up,” Politico reported two months after Stabenow announced that she would not seek reelection.
Stabenow coordinated with Senator Chuck Schumer, who told “anyone that would listen that Slotkin was well-funded and forcing her to spend big in a contested primary would hurt the party.” Prior to her slim November victory, Slotkin secured an easy win over actor Hill Harper, who entered the race without Stabenow’s blessing.
Now that Stabenow herself is out of power, it remains to be seen whether Democrats keep her savvy strategy to avoid primary spending fights — an angle that Republicans would do well to adopt as they consider the future of the Great Lakes state. Meanwhile, the deeper bench of potential Democratic candidates could create the liability of a crowded primary field.
Regardless, we know that Republican Rep. Jack Bergman isn’t looking for a new job, especially not in the Senate: “I still work for a living … I still eat solid food and I don’t take afternoon naps.”
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Mary Frances (Myler) Devlin is a contributing editor at The American Spectator. Born and raised in Northern Michigan, she graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2022. Follow her on X/Twitter @maryfrandevlin.
