Gary Peters

Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who is the junior United States Senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 14th congressional district from 2013 until his election to the Senate. The district includes the eastern half of Detroit, as well as the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac. He represented Michigan's 9th congressional district from 2009 to 2013. Before his election to Congress, Peters served in the United 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, going on to represent the 14th District in the Michigan Senate from 1995 to 2002. He was the Democratic nominee for Michigan Attorney General in 2002, narrowly losing to Republican Mike Cox. He was then appointed Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery by Governor Jennifer Granholm, serving from 2003 to 2008, when he resigned to run for Congress. In 2014, Peters was elected to the United States Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic incumbent Carl Levin. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican Terri Lynn Land in the general election. He was the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a Senate election in 2014. In the U.S. Senate, he is generally considered a progressive to moderate Democrat.