Former Transportation head Pete Buttigieg declines run to be Michigan governor or senator

March 13 (UPI) -- Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Thursday that he won't be running for office in Michigan next year.

Buttigieg posted to X that although he cares "deeply about who Michigan will elect as Governor and send to the U.S. Senate next year," he has "decided against competing in either race."

He continued that he is "enthusiastic helping candidates who share 'our values' -- and who understand that in this moment, leadership means not only opposing today's cruel chaos, but also presenting a vision of a better alternative."

Buttigieg followed up with a second post that while his plans don't include any runs for office in 2026, he remains "intensely focused on consolidating, communicating, and supporting a vision for this alternative," and then directed X users to a Substack statement. There he got deeper into his decision not to run for office, noting that while he's "an adopted and relatively new Michigander, it wasn't long before I was approached about potentially running for office here."

However, he stated that he believes "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."

It has since been reported that Buttigieg has moved away from possible runs for office in Michigan because he is instead eyeing a presidential run in 2028, which he has not confirmed or commented on. Buttigieg ran for president in 2019 while he was the mayor of South Bend, Ind., but dropped out in March 2020 and endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden.