A former transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, will not be a candidate for statewide office in his new home state of Michigan, he announced on Thursday. Mr. Buttigieg is widely expected to put himself up as a candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. 

The former South Bend, Indiana mayor-turned-cabinet secretary became a resident of Michigan — his husband’s home state — less than two years ago, fueling speculation that he could seek public office in the state in either 2024 or 2026 before making another run for the White House. Ultimately, he stayed at the Transportation Department through the end of the Biden administration. 

“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,” Mr. Buttigieg said in a statement Thursday. “I thought seriously about both, especially after being encouraged by some of the leaders in Michigan whom I most respect.”

“My party has a deep and talented bench here in Michigan, and I am certain that we will nominate an outstanding candidate for each office. Here in Michigan and around the country, I remain enthusiastic about helping candidates who share our values,” he added. 

Mr. Buttigieg says he will be “spending more time engaging both legacy and digital media” and “engaging partners, allies, friends and strangers in the service of a more convincing and widespread account of American prosperity than either side has so far offered.”

The open seat in Michigan complicates Democrats’ nearly impossible path back to a Senate majority in 2026. Even if the party is able to hold on to the Michigan seat, they will have to defend open seats in New Hampshire and Minnesota, while also re-electing Senator Ossoff in Georgia — a state President Trump won by just more than two points last year. Even then, Democrats would need to pick up four Republican seats in states like Maine, North Carolina, Texas, or Ohio. 

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already said they are “committed” to winning the Michigan contest next year. 

The former transportation secretary is widely expected to be a presidential candidate in 2028 after his surprisingly strong showing in the 2020 Democratic primaries and his popularity in the party. According to polling averages, Mr. Buttigieg is currently the second choice behind Vice President Harris to be the party’s presidential nominee next time around. 

The incumbent Senator Peters’s surprise decision to retire at the age of 66 scrambled the plans of many ambitious Michigan Democrats. Mr. Buttigieg, who had just left the Biden administration days earlier, considered running for the seat for nearly two months. According to polling conducted by a local Michigan firm, Mr. Buttigieg was the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic Senate nomination had he wanted it. 

A new Democratic favorite in the race is likely to be state senator Mallory McMorrow, who gained national fame in liberal circles in 2022 after she defended herself from accusations levied by a Republican colleague that she was trying to “sexualize” children because Ms. McMorrow opposed legislation that would have limited teachers’ ability to discuss issues related to sexuality and gender. Ms. McMorrow later delivered a primetime address at the Democratic National Convention last year.

“Busy morning, huh? Thank you to everyone encouraging me to run for Senate. I’ll have more to share soon,” Ms. McMorrow wrote on X after Mr. Buttigieg’s announcement. 

On the Republican side, the 2024 GOP nominee for Senate, Congressman Mike Rogers, is preparing to run in 2026. He has already hired Mr. Trump’s chief political strategist, Chris LaCivita, to advise him for that race. After losing the 2024 Senate election to Senator Slotkin by just one-third of a percent, Mr. Rogers still has more than $200,000 in his campaign account to start this next cycle.