Peters, Gary, 1958-

Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician and former military officer serving as 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, which includes the eastern half of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac, from 2013 to 2015. 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 and represented 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 successfully 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. Peters was reelected in 2020, defeating Republican challenger John E. James in a close race.

On January 28, 2021, Peters was selected as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, succeeding Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.

Gary Charles Peters was born December 1, 1958, in Pontiac, Michigan, where he grew up. He is the son of Madeleine A. (née Vignier) and Herbert Garrett Peters, a historian and statistician. His mother was a French war bride and his father was American.

Peters graduated from Rochester High School in 1976 and chose to attend Alma College, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Detroit in 1984. Peters also holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Arts in political science from Wayne State University and a Master of Arts in philosophy from Michigan State University. He also earned a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College.