Gary Peters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator fromMichigan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 Serving with Elissa Slotkin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Carl Levin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Joe Knollenberg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Brenda Lawrence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency |
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| Commissioner of theMichigan Lottery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office April 9, 2003 – August 7, 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Jennifer Granholm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jim Kipp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Scott Bowen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theMichigan Senate from the14th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1995 – December 31, 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jon Cisky | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Gilda Jacobs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Gary Charles Peters (1958-12-01)December 1, 1958 (age 66) Pontiac, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Colleen Ochoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service years | 1993–2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | Naval Construction Battalion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | Operation Southern Watch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gary Charles Peters (born December 1, 1958) is an American politician, lawyer, and formernaval officer serving as theseniorUnited States senator fromMichigan, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of theDemocratic Party, he was theU.S. representative forMichigan's 14th congressional district, which included the eastern half ofDetroit, theGrosse Pointes,Hamtramck,Southfield, andPontiac, from 2009 to 2015 (the district wasMichigan's 9th congressional district until 2013).
Peters served as Michigan'sjunior U.S. senator from 2015 to 2025. Upon U.S. SenatorDebbie Stabenow's retirement in January 2025,[1] Peters succeeded her as the state's senior U.S. senator and the dean ofMichigan's congressional delegation.
Before his election to Congress, Peters served in theUnited States Navy Reserve, spent 22 years as an investment advisor, and worked briefly in academia. He was elected to the Rochester Hills City Council in 1991 and represented the14th district in theMichigan Senate from 1995 to 2002. He was the Democratic nominee forMichigan Attorney General in2002, narrowly losing toRepublicanMike Cox. He was then appointed commissioner of theMichigan Lottery by GovernorJennifer Granholm, serving from 2003 to 2008, when he resigned to successfully run for Congress.
In2014, Peters was elected to theUnited States Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic incumbentCarl Levin.[2] He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated RepublicanTerri Lynn Land in the general election. He was the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a Senate election in 2014.[3][4] Peters was reelected in2020, defeating Republican challengerJohn E. James in a close race.[5]
On January 28, 2021, Peters was selected as chair of theDemocratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the2022 election cycle.[6] He was later selected again for the2024 cycle.[7]
Peters is the ranking member of theHomeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the 119th Congress. On January 28, 2025, he announced that he will not seek reelection in2026.[8]
Gary Charles Peters was born on December 1, 1958, inPontiac, Michigan.[9] His father, Herbert Garrett Peters, was a public school teacher who served in theU.S. Army duringWorld War II.[10] His mother, Madeleine Vignier, who met his father in France during the war,[10] was a nurse's aide and helpedunionize her workplace.[11] Peters' family has lived in Michigan since the 1840s.[12] He grew up inOakland County and graduated fromRochester High School.[11]
After high school, Peters attendedAlma College, where he graduatedmagna cum laude in 1980 with aBachelor of Arts inpolitical science and was inducted intoPhi Beta Kappa.[9] He later earned aMaster of Business Administration from theUniversity of Detroit Mercy in 1984.[13] Peters also holds aJuris Doctor and aMaster of Arts in political science fromWayne State University and a Master of Arts inphilosophy fromMichigan State University.[14]
Peters joined theUnited States Navy Reserve in 1993 at age 34.[15] He served more than ten years in units atSelfridge Air National Guard Base, includingNaval Mobile Construction Battalion 26.[15] During his Navy service, Peters earned theSeabee Combat Warfare Specialist designation and carried out assignments as anassistant supply officer.[15]
Peters's reserve duty included time in thePersian Gulf supportingOperation Southern Watch; he served overseas again during increased military activity following theSeptember 11 attacks.[15] Peters attained the rank oflieutenant commander before leaving the Reserve in 2008; his awards include theNavy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and theMilitary Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.[15][16] In 2018, he received a diploma from theCollege of Naval Command and Staff, part of theU.S. Naval War College.[17]
Peters worked for 22 years as a financial advisor, serving as an assistant vice president atMerrill Lynch from 1980 until 1989, when he joinedPaine Webber as a vice president.[18][19][20]
From 2007 to 2008, Peters served as the third Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government atCentral Michigan University. In that part-time position, he taught one class a semester, plus preparing additional student activities including two policy forums, and developing a journal of Michigan politics and policy, for $65,000 a year.[21] Peters announced his candidacy to run for Congress two months after being hired.[22] Some student and faculty members protested Peters's hiring, saying he could not be objective in the classroom while running for office and that the university job was subsidizing his campaign.[22][23]
Peters also has taughtfinance at Wayne State andstrategic management and businesspolicy courses atOakland University.[19]
Peters was a senior policy and financial analyst for the Michigan Department of Treasury[24] and served on arbitration panels for theNew York Stock Exchange and theFinancial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Before serving in theMichigan Senate, Peters served on theRochester Hills City Council from 1991 to 1993.[25][26]
After a failed attempt in 1990, Peters was elected to the Michigan Senate to represent theOakland County-based 14th district in November 1994. The district is one of the most diverse state Senate districts – containing nearly every racial, ethnic, and religious group in Michigan. It includes the cities ofPontiac,Bloomfield Hills,Southfield, andOak Park in southeastern Oakland County. Peters was reelected in 1998 and served until 2002, stepping down then due to the state'sterm limits. He was succeeded byGilda Jacobs.
Peters was chosen by his Democratic colleagues to chair his party's caucus. He was also a member of the Michigan Law Revision Commission and served on the Michigan Sentencing Commission.[27] Both theMichigan State House of Representatives and the Senate passed a bill sponsored by Peters which banned any new wells under the state waters of the Great Lakes except in case of a state energy emergency. The bill passed into law without the signature of GovernorJohn Engler.[28]
Peters served as the vice chairman of the Senate Finance, Education, Judiciary and Economic Development Committees. He was also a member of the Natural Resources and the Mental Health and Human Services Committee.[27]
In 2002, Peters was a candidate for governor and later forAttorney General.[29][30]
As the Democratic nominee for attorney general, he lost the 2002 election to Republican nomineeMike Cox by about 5,200 votes, a 0.17% margin.[29][30] Peters decided not to contest the result despite reported irregularities. Several mistakes were reportedly found during analysis, including a precinct inDearborn that recorded Peters with 96 votes when he actually had 396. The race was Michigan's closest statewide contest since the 1950 gubernatorial race.[31]
In 2003, Michigan GovernorJennifer Granholm appointed Peters as theMichigan Lottery commissioner.[32][33][34]
On August 7, 2007, Peters ended months of speculation by formally announcing he would run against eight-termRepublican congressmanJoe Knollenberg in the 9th district, which included almost all ofOakland County. Peters resigned as state lottery commissioner to devote his full energy to the campaign.
Knollenberg was considered vulnerable due to an increasing Democratic trend in what was once a classic bastion of suburban conservatism. His opponents in 2002 and 2004 had performed significantly below the Democratic base in the district, but he was nearly defeated in 2006 byNancy Skinner, a former radio talk-show host who spent virtually no money—the closest a Republican had come to losing the district in almost half a century. This led theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee to target Knollenberg for defeat.
In the 2002 state attorney general race, Peters performed at or above the Democratic base in 72% of the 9th district precincts. In his 1998 state Senate campaign, he performed at or above base in 99% of the precincts.[35]
Peters won the November 4 election by 33,524 votes, taking 52% of the vote to Knollenberg's 43%.Barack Obama carried Oakland County by 15 points; roughly two-thirds of Oakland County was in the 9th. Peters was the fourth person and first Democrat to represent the district since its creation in 1933[36] (it was the 17th district from 1933 to 1953, the 18th from 1953 to 1973, the 19th from 1973 to 1983, the 18th from 1983 to 1993, and the 11th from 1993 to 2003, becoming the 9th in 2003).
In November 2010, Peters defeated challenges by RepublicanAndrew "Rocky" Raczkowski,Libertarian Adam Goodman, Independent Bob Gray, Independent Matthew Kuofie, andGreen Douglas Campbell.[37]
Due to the state's population decline, as reflected by the 2010 census, Michigan lost one congressional district. As a result of the subsequent redistricting of House seats, much of Peters's 9th district, including his home in Bloomfield Hills, was merged with the12th district, represented by fellow DemocratSander Levin. The new district retained Peters's district number (the 9th) but geographically was more Levin's district.[citation needed]
In September 2011, Peters opted to run in the newly redrawn 14th district. The district had previously been the 13th district, represented by freshman DemocratHansen Clarke. The redrawn district is based in Detroit, but contains a large chunk of Peters's old State Senate district and portions of his old congressional district. Indeed, Peters had represented most of the Oakland County portion of the district at one time or another. Due to Detroit's dwindling population, it was no longer possible to keep the district exclusively withinWayne County.[citation needed]
In the August 2012 Democratic primary, Peters defeated Clarke, who had opted to follow most of his constituents into the reconfigured 14th even though his home had been drawn into the reconfigured 13th (the old 14th), and Southfield MayorBrenda Lawrence.[38] The 14th was a heavily Democratic, 58% Black district, and Peters was overwhelmingly favored in November. As expected, he bested Republican John Hauler in the general election with 82% of the vote.[39] He was the first white congressman to represent a significant portion of Detroit since 1993.[citation needed]
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Peters was sworn into his first term in January 2009. During his time in office, he voted for theRecovery Act, also known as the stimulus,[40] thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act,[41] theAmerican Clean Energy and Security Act, which would have established a national emissions trading plan, but was not passed by the full Congress,[42] thePaycheck Fairness Act, also not passed into law,[43] theLilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act,[44] and theDREAM Act to provide conditional permanent residency to certain immigrants.[45]
Peters worked with theObama administration to obtain debt forgiveness forChrysler.[46]House Financial Services Committee ChairmanBarney Frank said Peters was the "single most effective person" in fighting the forces that wanted to letDetroit go bankrupt.[47] In Congress, Peters opposed a plan to provide disaster relief aid, the funds for which would have come from theAdvanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program.[48]
TheMichigan Messenger wrote in 2010 that Peters was "criticizing the leadership of his own party. Peters and three other Democratic legislators ... this week formed the Spending Cuts and Deficit Reduction Working Group and proposed a series of bills to cut spending. Peters' bill makes cuts in the federal energy budget."[49] "We have been growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of action and talking about specifics and putting those on the table", Peters said. "We've been frustrated with both Democratic leadership and Republicans."[50]
Peters allied himself with theOccupy Wall Street movement, making an appearance atOccupy Detroit in November 2011. He told reporters: "It's speculation on Wall Street that we're still paying the price for here, particularly in Detroit, that almost brought the auto industry to a collapse because of what we saw on Wall Street. So we put in restrictions, or put in regulations necessary to rein that in, and right now in Washington I'm facing a Republican majority that wants to undo that."[51]
Peters was one of 118 House Democrats who signed a letter to President Obama in 2011 urging him to support theUnited Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a multinational organization that provides health services to women, children, and families in more than 150 countries.[52] In 2014, he opposed a Michigan law that prohibits insurers from offering abortion coverage as a standard feature in health plans.[53]
Peters was namedsenior whip for the Democratic caucus in 2013.[54]
In 2014, Peters ran for theSenate seat being vacated by retiring SenatorCarl Levin.[55] Levin and SenatorDebbie Stabenow endorsed Peters, and his entrance largely cleared the field of potential Democratic challengers.[56]
Peters's largest independent supporter was the Senate Majority PAC, which spent almost $3.2 million for ads attacking the Republican nominee,Terri Lynn Land.[57][58][59][60] In July 2014, SenatorElizabeth Warren supported Peters at a campaign fundraising event.[61]
While the race was considered competitive early on, various missteps by Land's campaign and her reluctance to appear in public benefited Peters; he had consistent leads in polls late in the campaign.[62][63][64]
Peters faced Republican nomineeJohn James in the November 2020 general election.[65] James previously ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2018 against Stabenow. Less than a month before the election, Peters became the first sitting U.S. senator ever to publicly reveal a personal family experience with abortion.[66] He was reelected by a smaller margin (1.7%) than expected.[67]
Peters was participating in the certification of the2021 United States Electoral College vote count on January 6, 2021, when Trump supportersstormed the United States Capitol. Along with other senators and staff, Peters was evacuated from the Senate floor when rioters breached the Capitol.[68] From a secured location, he tweeted that the attacks were "dangerous, unacceptable and an attack on our democracy—and must stop."[69] Peters blamed Trump, calling him "a clear and present danger" and calling for his immediate removal from office through the25th amendment of the U.S. Constitution or impeachment.[70][71] Peters also called for investigations into the security and intelligence failure that resulted in the breaching of the Capitol and the five deaths.[68] He led the investigation as chair of theSenate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.[72]
In the Bipartisan Index created byThe Lugar Center and theMcCourt School of Public Policy, Peters was ranked the 17th-most bipartisan U.S. senator (and the fourth-most bipartisan Democrat) during the115th U.S. Congress (2017–2019).[77] The nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked Peters the most effective senator in the116th Congress (2019–2021), despite being in the minority party.[78] In 2023, the Lugar Center ranked Peters second among senators for bipartisanship.[79]
Peters supported thePaycheck Fairness Act. In 2015, he voted for theInternational Violence Against Women Act.[80] He supportsabortion rights. In the late 1980s, his first wife had a wanted pregnancy that failed at four months, but her miscarriage did not proceed naturally, causing a health emergency. Their hospital did not perform abortions, but Peters's wife was able to get an emergency abortion at another hospital in part because she and Peters were friends with the hospital's administrator.[66]
In 2017, in response toChina's efforts to purchase tech companies based in the U.S., Peters was one of nine senators to cosponsor a bill that would broaden the federal government's ability to prevent foreign purchases of U.S. firms by strengthening theCommittee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The CFIUS's scope would be expanded to allow it to review and decline smaller investments and consider additional national security factors, including whether information about Americans would be exposed as part of transactions and whether a deal would facilitate fraud.[81]
In 2017, Peters cosponsored theIsrael Anti-Boycott Act, which would make it a federal crime forgovernment contractors to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel andIsraeli settlements in the occupiedPalestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.[82][83]
Peters continued to strongly support Israel during itsinvasion of the Gaza Strip, sponsoring legislation in 2024 to provide $30 million to support Israeli anti-tunneling operations and for the technology to be shared with the United States for use at its borders.[84] He also voted to defund U.S. support forUNRWA through 2025 after an Israeli campaign to discredit the agency, at the time the primary organization responsible for coordinating humanitarian assistance in Gaza.[85][86]
In 2025, Peters was in the minority of Senate Democrats that voted not to block the sale of arms to Israel despite rising death tolls from itswar on Gaza andrestrictions on humanitarian aid resulting in widespreadfamine.[87]
Peters is a gun owner.[88] After the 2016Orlando nightclub shooting, he supported theChris Murphy gun control filibuster.[89] In 2019, he was one of 40 senators to introduce the Background Check Expansion Act, a bill that would require background checks for the sale or transfer of all firearms. Exceptions to the bill's background check requirement included transfers between members of law enforcement, loaning firearms for hunting or sporting events on a temporary basis, providing them as gifts to members of one's immediate family, transferring them as part of an inheritance, or giving one to another person temporarily for immediate self-defense.[90][91]
Peters voted for theAffordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2009.[92] He has opposed attempts to repeal the law, and supported a Medicare public option to expand health care access.[80]
Peters voted against providingCOVID-19 pandemic financial support to undocumented immigrants in 2021.[93]
In 2025, Peters was one of 12 Senate Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for theLaken Riley Act.[94]
On March 5, 2025, Peters introduced S. 874, the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025, which aims to strengthen protections for federal contractors who report waste, fraud, or abuse by ensuring they are shielded from retaliation by government officials.[95][96][97]
Peters is married to Colleen Ochoa, who is fromWaterford Township, Michigan. They have three children and live inBloomfield Township, Michigan.[98]
He is anEpiscopalian and has said his religion is important to him and "gives me comfort in rough times".[99]
Peters is an avidmotorcyclist and has made a tradition of annual motorcycle tours of Michigan.[100] He is a member of theSons of the American Revolution.[101] His ancestor William Garrett served in theVirginia Militia in theRevolutionary War alongsideGeorge Washington atValley Forge during the harsh winter of 1777 to 1778.[102][16]
He had a net worth between $1.7 million and $6.3 million at the end of 2014, which ranked him 37th in the Senate in terms of wealth.[103][104]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forAttorney General of Michigan 2002 | Succeeded by Amos Williams |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromMichigan (Class 2) 2014,2020 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic Senatorial Campaign Committee 2021–2025 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 9th congressional district 2009–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 14th congressional district 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by Carl Levin | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Michigan 2015–present Served alongside:Debbie Stabenow,Elissa Slotkin | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Homeland Security Committee 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee 2021–2025 | Succeeded by Rand Paul |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 48th | Succeeded by |
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| Expenditures in Executive Departments (1921–1952) | | |
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| Government Operations (1952–1977) | ||
| Governmental Affairs (1977–2005) | ||
| Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (2005–) | ||
| Class 1 | | |
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| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
