LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who led the Democrats’ Senate campaign efforts the past two election cycles, has announced he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating a highly contested battleground seat expected to be highly coveted by both parties.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, leaving Congress at the end of his second term and opening up a highly competitive battleground Senate seat.

The announcement creates an open seat in battleground Michigan, which has flipped from red to blue to red again in the last three presidential elections.