Michigan Democrats look toward a future that some hope includes Pete Buttigieg
Michigan Democrats are charting their path forward after significant setbacks in the 2024 election
MONROE, Mich. (AP) — In a packed union hall outside Detroit, a worker shifts the conversation from policy to the personal, quizzing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on his knowledge of Michigan, the state he only recently started calling home.
“Mayor Pete — Secretary Pete, I apologize,” one auto worker yelled from the crowd. “Now that you're a Michigander, who do the Lions play Sunday?”
Caught off guard, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, couldn’t provide an answer. Familiarity with the schedule of Detroit’s long-suffering but recently soaring football team isn’t an official prerequisite for holding statewide office. But the casual exchange illustrates the challenge Buttigieg may face in proving his connection to Michigan voters — a hurdle some Democrats nevertheless hope he’ll take on by entering a crowded governor’s race.
Though Buttigieg has publicly and privately stated that he won’t make any decisions about his future until after the Biden administration ends on Jan. 20, he has already fielded calls from Michigan Democrats urging him to enter the 2026 race to replace Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term limited.
