Former Rep. Peter Meijer, who was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump in 2021, tells The Dispatch’s Audrey Fahlberg that he’s considering running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. “We need to look at who can win the general election in November of 2024,” said Meijer, who narrowly lost renomination last year to Trump-backed foe John Gibbs, who in turn lost to Democrat Hillary Scholten.
Rep. Bill Huizenga, a fellow Republican who is far closer to the party base, also expressed interest in a Senate bid for the first time, saying, “I’m open to it.” Huizenga also told Fahlberg, “I think as we are going into arguably another tough election cycle, we’ve got to put our best team on the field.” Trump last year endorsed Huizenga over fellow incumbent Fred Upton, who joined Meijer in voting for impeachment. Upton decided to retire rather than go ahead with what would have been a challenging primary campaign, though he also hasn’t quite ruled out running for the Senate himself.
Someone who has ruled out a Senate bid is U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg … we think. The Democrat last month refused to say he wouldn’t run even when repeatedly pressed, but Buttigieg on Sunday responded with a “no” when CNN’s Jake Tapper asked, “Are you going to be seeking that Senate seat?"
Perhaps Tapper shares our uncertainty because he nevertheless pressed on and asked again, “'No.' You're not? Period?” Buttigieg answered, “I’m planning to vote in that election as a resident of Michigan, but look, the job that I have is, first of all, I think, the best job in the federal government … This job is taking 110% of my time, and obviously I serve at the pleasure of the president. But as long as he is willing to have me continue doing this work, I’m proud to be part of this team.” That’s still evasive language, but unless he gives some indication that he’s at all interested in a bid for Senate, we’re ready to move on.