Well, folks, it looks like Pete Buttigieg just can’t resist the siren call of another political campaign. After a wildly unimpressive stint as Secretary of Transportation—one marked by supply chain disasters, an airline industry in chaos, and, oh yeah, a massive train derailment that he basically ignored—he’s now eyeing a Senate seat in Michigan. Because, naturally, what else would a failed presidential candidate turned failed cabinet secretary do?
With Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) announcing he won’t run for re-election in 2026, Buttigieg is reportedly exploring a run for the soon-to-be-vacant seat. The Detroit News reports that he’s already being floated as a top-tier candidate, with one Democratic strategist saying, “Pete already has a national network.” And sure, that’s true—if by “national network,” they mean a collection of wine-sipping donors from California and D.C. who love his ability to speak in carefully rehearsed platitudes while delivering absolutely nothing of substance.
Senate confirms Sean Duffy as Pete Buttigieg’s replacement for Secretary of Transportation.
Duffy has 9 children with his wife, while his predecessor, Buttigieg, adopted 2 with his “husband.”
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— AF Post (@AFpost) January 29, 2025
Let’s not forget—Buttigieg isn’t actually from Michigan. He only moved to Traverse City a couple of years ago, presumably because he saw the writing on the wall that his political future wasn’t exactly bright in Indiana. So, after a quick zip code change, he’s now hoping to parachute into a Michigan Senate seat the same way Hillary Clinton did in New York. Nothing screams “authentic” like a Beltway insider moving to a state just in time to run for office.
Peters’ retirement means Michigan’s Senate race is about to turn into a full-blown political battle. Republicans haven’t won a Senate race in the state since 1994, but with the disastrous policies of the Biden administration (which, let’s not forget, included Transportation Secretary Pete letting East Palestine, Ohio, suffer for weeks before bothering to show up), the GOP has a real shot at flipping the seat.
And while Buttigieg might think his national profile gives him an edge, it’s hard to imagine Michigan voters will be thrilled with a candidate whose most notable accomplishment in office was… well, what exactly? When he wasn’t busy taking extended paternity leave during a supply chain crisis, he was either ignoring transportation disasters or showing up long after the cameras had left. The East Palestine train derailment? He took nearly three weeks to acknowledge it. The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse? He made the rounds on cable news but did little to reassure Americans that he was actually leading the response.
REPORT: The Biden administration invested $7.5 billion into EV charging & produced just *8* charging stations over 4 years.
The Department of Transportation led by Pete Buttigieg is being mocked for the massive failure.
For comparison, a Tesla Supercharger costs less than… pic.twitter.com/G4MM7W6rkl
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 24, 2024
Now, Michigan Democrats are already shifting gears. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who some suspected might make a Senate run, is passing on the opportunity—likely because she’s setting her sights on the 2028 presidential race. That leaves the Senate seat wide open for ambitious Democrats, but if Buttigieg thinks he can just stroll in and claim the nomination, he might be in for a rude awakening. Michigan voters aren’t exactly known for embracing out-of-state opportunists, and he’s got little to show for his time in the Biden administration other than frequent flyer miles and a collection of well-polished excuses.
So, will Pete actually make it official and run? Probably. After all, the guy has spent years carefully crafting his political brand, and he clearly doesn’t want to be out of the game for long. But if the GOP plays its cards right, they can make this race a referendum on failed leadership—both from the Biden administration and from Buttigieg himself. Michigan deserves better than a career politician looking for his next gig. Let’s see if voters agree.