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

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced this week he will not seek reelection, setting the stage for a potentially crowded 2026 race.

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.