SAUGATUCK, Mich. (AP) — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that he will not seek an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, a move that leaves the door wide open for him to seek a much bigger role as his party’s next presidential nominee.

The former transportation secretary, who moved to Michigan from Indiana in 2022, had been seen as the most prominent potential candidate in next year’s marquee contest.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is expected to announce he will not run for Michigan’s open Senate seat. During an appearance last month on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Buttigieg revealed he was “looking” into launching a bid to replace retiring Sen.