Buttigieg: ‘I don’t know if I’ll run for office again or not’

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he does not know if plans to make a run for another public office. 

Buttigieg’s response came while being asked if he plans to be in contention for Michigan’s governor seat that will be open after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) term ends. 

“I don’t know if I’ll run for office again or not, but I do really care about the future of the state that I’ve married into and adopted and I think Governor Whitmer is doing a fantastic job,” Buttigieg told Axios’ Co-founder Mike Allen during his appearance on Axios’ What’s Next Summit in Washington, DC.

Buttigieg changed his residency from Indiana to Michigan in 2022. He moved to Traverse City, located in the northern part of the state, to be closer to his husband’s parents. 

“We moved to Michigan because it’s the right thing to do for our family, he said on Tuesday. “Anybody who’s ever had toddlers knows how important it is to or how helpful it can be to have toddlers next to grandparents if that’s an option. And that’s what we’ve achieved by moving to Michigan. So I don’t mean to dodge, it’s just that this job takes about 110 percent of my intellect and attention.” 

Whitmer is term-limited, having served as the governor since 2019. She was reelected in 2022. 

A little over a year ago, Buttigieg was asked if he would run for Michigan’s open Senate seat. He reiterated that he won’t be running in that race and praised his current post, calling it “the best job” in the federal government. 

“I’m planning to vote in that election as a resident of Michigan,” he told Jake Tapper last February. “But, look, the job that I have is, first of all, I think the best job in the federal government. It can be really tough and demanding, with all of the problems that the transportation system has confronted, but also incredibly rewarding.”