Rep. Gary Peters announces run for Michigan Senate seat WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., announced in an email to supporters Wednesday he will run for Michigan's open Senate seat. Casting himself as an independent voice, he said in his email: "Washington is a mess, but Michigan is on the verge of reinventing itself with a new economy and a middle class that's stronger than ever, and I want to be on the front lines of that fight." Peters will likely have little opposition in the Democratic primary to replace Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., who announced his retirement earlier this year, the Washington newspaper The Hill reported Wednesday, adding Peters will make his first campaign appearance Wednesday in his hometown of Rochester Hills, Mich.