gotchanewsdaily.com 
CNN
—
Pete Buttigieg is expected to forgo a run for Michigan’s open US Senate seat in 2026, according to two people familiar with the former transportation secretary’s plans, setting up a potential presidential bid in 2028.
Buttigieg was calling fellow Michigan Democrats on Thursday morning to tell them of his decision. He is expected to publicly announce his decision later Thursday.
Following the retirement announcement by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in late January, an adviser to Buttigieg told CNN he was taking a “serious look” at a Senate campaign.
Buttigieg previously ruled out running for governor of Michigan next year, a source familiar with this thinking told CNN last month. The state’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is term-limited and is also seen as a potential 2028 contender.
Politico was first to report Buttigieg’s expected decision not to seek the Senate seat.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana mounted a presidential campaign in 2019 positioning himself as a moderate. He entered race as a relative unknown among nearly two-dozen Democrats running for the chance to take on President Donald Trump at the time.
Buttigieg broke barriers as the first openly gay man to launch a competitive campaign for president and raised more than $80 million during his 2020 run.
While he had initial success in Iowa and New Hampshire, his campaign struggled to win over voters of color, a key base of the Democratic Party, which hurt his performance in Nevada and South Carolina, leading him to end his campaign shortly before Super Tuesday.
Following his failed bid, Buttigieg vaulted into the Cabinet work as transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden in a move that many Democrats saw as needed experience for another presidential run.
During his tenure as mayor, Buttigieg deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 as an intelligence officer.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Isaac Dovere and Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.
