Gary Peters' exit creates a highly contested U.S. Senate battleground seat expected to be coveted by both major political parties.

Mallory McMorrow, a state senator who won national Democratic acclaim in 2022 with a speech defending liberal values while identifying herself as a “straight, white, Christian, married suburban mom,” said she had not ruled out a run for either governor or the Senate.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, of Michigan, announced Tuesday that he will not run for a third six-year term in 2026 leaving an open Senate seat.