Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, recently unveiled legislation that would reauthorize a lapsed cybersecurity law aimed at encouraging private companies and public sector entities to share cybersecurity information. The 2015 law known as the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which was enacted in an omnibus funding bill, created liability protections, including from antitrust law, for companies sharing indicators of a cyberthreat with the federal government or with each other. The law’s expiration at the end of September, along with reduced staffing levels at federal cybersecurity agencies as a result of the partial government shutdown, has left observers concerned about U.S. resilience against a possible cyberattack. Peters has argued that the U.S. is left in an “incredibly vulnerable” position, with both economic and national security implications.
Getting to Congress: Peters spent nearly 20 years as a financial adviser in the private sector, including executive roles at Merrill Lynch and UBS/PaineWebber. Following an unsuccessful bid for the Michigan Senate, Peters launched his political career in 1991, winning a seat on the city council of Rochester Hills, a suburb of Detroit. He was elected to the state Senate three years later and served there until 2002, when he mounted an unsuccessful race for state attorney general. He followed that with a four-year stint as commissioner of the Michigan Lottery Bureau. In 2008 he ran for the U.S. House against eight-term GOP incumbent Joe Knollenberg, winning the seat with 52 percent of the vote. The retirement of the late Democrat Sen. Carl Levin after more than 30 years in office gave Peters a shot at the Senate in the 2014 cycle. He won with roughly 55 percent of the vote against Terri Lynn Land, a former Michigan secretary of state.
His State: Surrounded by the Great Lakes, Michigan has long been known for its connection to domestic industry. The car is still king in Detroit and its nearby suburbs, where two of the “big three” automakers — Ford and General Motors — are headquartered. But Michigan cities like Detroit have become symbols of Rust Belt decline that saw their economies devastated by manufacturing plant closures. While there are fewer jobs, manufacturing remains a key employment sector, along with transportation and trade. Part of the waterway system connecting the U.S. and Canada runs through Michigan and its shores are dotted with shipping ports. Demographically, the state is home to a notable Arab American population in cities such as Dearborn and Pontiac. Michigan voters have swung like a pendulum in recent presidential elections, favoring Democrats in 2012 and 2020, but President Donald Trump claiming its electoral votes in 2016 and 2024.
What’s New: Peters was one of the first members of the 119th Congress to announce his retirement, declaring in late January that he would not run for a third term in 2026. When he leaves office, Peters says he is looking forward to one thing he has gone without for many years running: unstructured time. “I joke that this job, you don’t have a life, you have a schedule,” he said. “So I look forward to having more control over that schedule.” His seat is likely to be one of the most competitive Senate races next year.
Point of Interest: An avid motorcyclist, Peters has held annual motorcycle tours of Michigan where he rides to meet with constituents across the state. He held his most recent tour in August.
Allison Mollenkamp contributed to this report.
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