Pete Buttigieg met with Chuck Schumer to discuss potential Senate bid

Pete Buttigieg met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last week to discuss a possible Senate bid in Michigan, according to two people familiar with the meeting and granted anonymity to describe private conversations.

The former Transportation secretary is still undecided about a Senate run in his adopted home state, according to five people familiar with the situation. But the meeting with Schumer was a sign of how seriously he is considering it.

Democrats are vying to hold onto the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters in a crucial swing state. Republicans see it as a top pickup opportunity after coming close to flipping the other Senate seat last cycle.

Buttigieg, a former presidential candidate, just recently moved back to Traverse City, Michigan, with his young family, after four years of working in former President Joe Biden's Cabinet — a factor that looms in his calculus. In addition to a Senate bid, he is weighing another presidential run in 2028.

Buttigieg hasn’t taken any formal steps to run for Senate. Some Michigan Democrats noted that he didn’t attend a party gathering last month in Detroit, which could have been a place to shore up support with state party leaders, though other possible candidates, including state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, only showed up there to vote.

McMorrow told fellow Michigan Democrats she will run for the seat. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), meanwhile, has not formally decided on a bid but has taken steps towards a Senate run, including hiring staff.

Regardless of Buttigieg’s decision, two people familiar with his thinking said he sees a path to helping shape the national political debate in non-traditional spaces, including a Tuesday evening appearance with Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show," where he will respond to President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress.

Those people said Buttigieg doesn’t pine for a life in a Republican-controlled Congress, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune controls how often he needs to be back in Washington.

Last month, Buttigieg ruled out a run for governor, according to someone familiar with his thinking, who told POLITICO then that he was “very seriously focused on a potential run for Senate.” Despite that, some Michigan Democrats have encouraged Buttigieg to run for governor to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

There’s a large field of ambitious Michigan Democrats already in the field for the top job in the state government, including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and current Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, not to mention Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who’s running as an independent.

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