Peters served in the House from 2009 to 2015 before moving on to the Senate.
“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation,” Peters told The Detroit News, which published an exclusive interview with him on Jan. 28. “I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life.”
Peters, 66, was first elected to Congress in 2008, serving in the House between January 2009 and January 2015. He was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and narrowly won reelection in 2020.
“I think this is pretty normal for everybody to say, I’ve done a job, and I’m proud of the job I did, but there are other things I want to do in my life. There are other ways that I can give back to the community,” he said.
During his time in the Senate, Peters led the Senate Democrats’ main campaign finance arm, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, resulting in the Democrats keeping the Senate in the 2022 election but losing it two years later.
Peters chaired the Senate Homeland Security Committee between February 2021 and this January. He is currently the committee’s ranking member.
Peters said he is not leaving the political arena.
“I want to be very clear: I’m not retiring. I’m just not running for reelection in the Senate,” he said. “I hope, God willing, I have a lot more good years ahead.”
“There’s still a lot of work to do. We have issues related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, natural disasters, cybersecurity to border security, and I’m intimately involved in all these issues, and we’ll continue to do that,” said Peters.
Other possible candidates on the Democrat side include Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.
On the GOP side, possible candidates include former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race in the Wolverine State; Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.); and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.).
At the end of the day, Peters will not have to deal with the pressure of running to keep his seat.
“The great thing is this really allows me to just be completely, completely focused on the day-to-day work that I do as a U.S. senator and fight for issues that are important to people here in Michigan,” he said.