Former NFL Coach Tony Dungy Not Running for Senate in Michigan

Tony and Lauren Dungy. Courtesy of Team Dngy

NFL Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy announced on Jan. 30 that he will not be running for Senate in Michigan.

This was in response to speculation that the former Indianapolis Colts head coach, who led the team to a Super Bowl title in 2006, might run to succeed Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who announced this week that he will not be running for reelection next year.

“Not sure where this idea came from but it didn’t come from me. I love my home state of Michigan. I pray they will elect a Senator who honors the Lord and leads the people well. But I can assure you it won’t be me. Number 1, I’m not a politician and Number 2 I live in Florida,” Dungy posted on social media platform X.

In an interview with The Detroit News published on Jan. 28, Peters, 66, announced he would not be running for a third Senate term.

“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation,” he said. “I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life.”

Peters was first elected to Congress in 2008, serving in the House between January 2009 and January 2015, when he began serving in the Senate.

“I think this is pretty normal for everybody to say, I’ve done a job, and I’m proud of the job I did, but there are other things I want to do in my life. There are other ways that I can give back to the community,” he said.

Peters said he will remain politically active.

“I want to be very clear: I’m not retiring. I’m just not running for reelection in the Senate,” he said. “I hope, God willing, I have a lot more good years ahead.”

Peters said his job is not finished in the Senate.

“There’s still a lot of work to do. We have issues related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, natural disasters, cybersecurity to border security, and I’m intimately involved in all these issues, and we'll continue to do that,” he said.

House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) has said she is not considering running for Peters’s seat. Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) will be running for the seat, according to The Associated Press.

Rogers, who narrowly lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) in November 2024, posted on X that he is “strongly considering joining the fight once again—to be the ally that President Trump needs and the leader that Michigan deserves.”

“Good news is coming soon,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.