Gary Peters

Outgoing Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters is headed for a new role at the University of Southern California.

Peters announced in January 2025 that he would step down after his current term in Congress, making way for what has become a highly watched race at the national level as Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed vie to replace him in the November election.

He will serve as the director at the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, the university announced on Monday. He will serve alongside co-director Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist. The university said its political center is believed to be the only one in the country jointly led by a Democrat and a Republican.

Peters is stepping into a role currently held by Robert Shrum, who is retiring at the end of 2026.

He will also hold the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Endowed Chair in practical politics.

"I look at this as a capstone of my years in public service at the local, state and federal level," Peters told the university. "It's never been more important to bring people together, and there's no better place to start than working with students and getting them engaged in civic activism."

Peters has represented Michigan in the U.S. Senate since 2015, after serving in the House. He worked as chairman of the Senate Democratic campaign arm in the last two cycles.

The above video originally aired on Jan. 28, 2025.