Democrats lose another top contender in Michigan Senate after Whitmer and Buttigieg bow out

Another top Democratic contender for Michigan’s open Senate seat has begun informing colleagues she will take a pass on the race, according to three people familiar with the conversations, narrowing the field for a seat that Democrats are increasingly worried about whether they can keep next November.

Another top Democratic contender for Michigan’s open Senate seat has begun informing colleagues she will take a pass on the race, according to three people familiar with the conversations, narrowing the field for a seat that Democrats are increasingly worried about whether they can keep next November. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a freshman Democrat who won a key battleground seat last year, has decided to stay in the House – a decision that is making some Michigan Democrats anxious about their chances of securing a top-tier candidate to go up against a Republican who nearly won the seat last year. McDonald Rivet had been seriously considering a run and even met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer this month, according to two people briefed on the meeting. She had been encouraged to run by influential Michiganders, including former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, after another one of the former senator’sother top choices, Pete Buttigieg, chose not to run. Top Democrats, including Schumer himself, also aggressively courted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, though she repeatedly declined to run, according to people close to Whitmer. “In this moment, each of us should put ourselves in the position that allows us to do the most good. So I am excited to run for re-election in our highly competitive district, help win back the House, and move an agenda that uplifts the working people in our communities,” McDonald Rivet wrote in a statement. The fate of Michigan’s Senate seat will be crucial in the 2026 midterms, where Democrats are grappling with key retirements – including Sen. Gary Peters in Michigan – as they attempt to flip enough seats to win back Senate control facing an already challenging map. Trump won the battleground state in two of the last three presidential elections – plus, his own adviser, Chris LaCivita, is working closely with one of the leading potential GOP candidates, former Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin by fewer than 20,000 votes last year. Democrats have a long way to go until the August 2026 primary but multiple people told CNN the expected four-person field is now essentially set. And with no clear frontrunner and plenty of angst in their party, some Democrats are so fearful of a bruising and expensive intraparty fight over who will be their nominee that they’re encouraging the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm to consider intervening.