Buttigieg says he won’t run for Senate or governor

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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday announced that he would not run for the U.S. Senate or for governor in Michigan next year.

"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," Buttigieg wrote in a post on X Thursday morning.

"While my own plans don’t include running for office in 2026, I remain intensely focused on consolidating, communicating, and supporting a vision for this alternative," he wrote in a subsequent post.

In a post on Substack, Buttigieg wrote more about his decision-making process, saying he had "seriously" considered running for Michigan's open Senate seat and governorship, but adding: "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."

He also wrote, "I am simultaneously thankful to be away from Washington and yet also more motivated than ever to contribute to the future of this country."

Passing on a Senate and gubernatorial run sets Buttigieg up to be in the strongest possible position to run for president in 2028, a source familiar with his thinking told NBC News.

Running for office next year would have taken a potential 2028 campaign off the table, the source added, pointing to the Democratic Party's post-2024 discussion about going to new places to reach new people, which the source said Buttigieg has been doing since he first joined the national political scene and will continue to do so.

Buttigieg ran for president in 2019, while he was the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, raising his national profile and earning himself a spot in President Joe Biden's Cabinet.

In the waning days of the Biden administration, it was widely speculated that Buttigieg was considering a run for Michigan's governorship, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is term-limited.

During the Biden administration, Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, bought a house in Traverse City, Michigan, Chasten's hometown, fueling speculation that the then-Transportation Secretary would consider running for elected office in the battleground state.