Summary
Current Position: US Senator since 2015
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: US Representative from 2009 – 2015; Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery from 2003 – 2007; State Senator from 1995 – 2002
Other Positions: Chair, Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee;
Chair, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports
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 appointed commissioner of the Michigan Lottery by Governor Jennifer Granholm, serving from 2003 to 2008, when he resigned to successfully run for Congress.
On January 28, 2021, Peters was selected as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2022 election cycle. He was later selected again for the 2024 cycle.
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We must keep working together to pass infrastructure legislation. This is about spurring job creation, strengthening our economy, supporting Michigan businesses and investing to upgrade our roads, bridges and broadband access.
Gary Peters says Americans have suffered due to USPS service changes
OnAir Post: Gary Peters – MI
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About
Source: Government page
Senator Gary Peters has been honored to represent the State of Michigan in the U.S. Senate since 2015. He has focused on uniting our communities by fighting for the things we all agree on — a stronger economy, good-paying jobs, affordable health care, a secure retirement and an opportunity for everyone to succeed. In the 117th Congress, Gary is the Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security and is the Senate’s top oversight committee. He also serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
In the U.S. Senate, Gary is recognized as one of the most effective and bipartisan Senators, according to the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking (University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University) and the Lugar Center (Georgetown University). During the last Congress (2019-2020), Gary was recognized as the #1 most effective Senator in the U.S. Senate, despite serving as a member of the minority party – an achievement that hadn’t been accomplished since the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking began collecting data over 50 years ago. The Center for Effective Lawmaking cited a key to Gary’s success was his effectiveness in coalition-building. In those two years, Gary was the principal sponsor and author of more standalone bills signed into law than any Democratic or Republican member serving in either the Senate or House. Some of his bills signed into law include: increasing protections for the Great Lakes and securing historic funding for restoration efforts, increasing our nation’s security at our borders, addressing rising water levels and shoreline erosion in Great Lakes communities, expanding apprenticeships for veterans, improving the VA Caregivers Program and saving taxpayer dollars.
Gary was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, where he served on the Financial Services Committee. While in his first term and one of the most junior members of the House, the Speaker appointed Gary to serve on the conference committee that wrote and finalized the sweeping Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act.
Gary began his public service as a Rochester Hills City Councilman in 1991. In 1994, Gary was elected to the Michigan State Senate and served two terms. During his eight years of service, he authored and passed more bills signed into law than any other member of his party.
Gary volunteered for the U.S. Navy Reserve at age 34, where he earned a Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist designation and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After the September 11th terrorist attacks on our country, he volunteered again for drilling status and served overseas as part of his Reserve duty.
Gary worked in the private sector for over 20 years as both a financial advisor and in a variety of management positions with two major financial service firms. He was an assistant vice president at Merrill Lynch before working at UBS/PaineWebber as a vice president.
His combination of business and policy experience prompted then-Governor Granholm to appoint Gary to run the Michigan Lottery. As State Lottery Commissioner, he managed a multi-billion dollar business and consistently raised record amounts of money for the state School Aid Fund.
Gary is a product of Michigan schools. After graduating from Rochester High School, he attended Alma College, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science. While working a full-time job, he went on to earn an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Detroit Mercy, an M.A. in political science from Wayne State University, an M.A. in Philosophy from Michigan State University with a focus on the ethics of development and a law degree (J.D.) from Wayne State University Law School. He also earned a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College.Gary was born in Pontiac, Michigan. His father, a World War II veteran, worked as a public school teacher and NEA union member for more than 30 years. His mother – who survived Nazi occupation of France and met Gary’s father while he served in Europe during the war – worked as a nurse’s aide at a local nursing home. She helped organize her workplace and became an SEIU union steward. Growing up, Gary learned the importance of hard work and fairness from his parents. He started his own small business delivering newspapers at age 11. In junior high, he bused tables at a Big Boy restaurant, and in high school and college, he worked at a local retailer and on a grounds crew. Gary is an Eagle Scout and in 2019, he was humbled to receive the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.
Gary and his wife, Colleen, live in Oakland County and have three children: Gary Jr., Madeleine and Alana.
Personal
Full Name: Gary C. Peters
Gender: Male
Family: Wife: Colleen; 3 Children: Gary Jr., Madeleine, Alana
Birth Date: 12/01/1958
Birth Place: Pontiac, MI
Home City: Bloomfield Township, MI
Religion: Episcopalian
Source: Detroit Office Lansing Office Grand Rapids Office Marquette Office Rochester Office Saginaw Office Traverse City Office Washington, DC Office Email: Government Source: none To learn more, go to this wikipedia section in this post. Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Airland Source: Government page n the U.S. Senate, Gary has consistently found commonsense solutions to the problems facing the state of Michigan. He is proud to work with members of both political parties, and has championed legislation that has been signed into law under both Democratic and Republican presidents. Whether it’s safeguarding the Great Lakes for future generations, supporting our veterans, lowering health care costs, securing our Northern and Southern borders, or expanding economic opportunity for the middle class, Gary has gotten results on issues that matter to Michiganders. That’s why he’s been recognized as one of the most bipartisan and effective lawmakers in the Senate. According to the non-partisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, Gary was the #1 most effective Senator in both the 116th and 117th Congress. He received the first of these distinctions in 2020 while serving as a member of the minority party – an accomplishment that had not been achieved since the Center began tracking data more than 50 years ago. In the 117th Congress, he passed 19 standalone bills into law, the most in a single Congress in over four decades. That includes legislation that will strengthen cybersecurity, address PFAS contamination, improve federal disaster response, bolster national security, make the federal government more efficient, and protect access to federal resources for Michigan communities. During that timeframe, Gary also served as Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security and is the Senate’s top oversight committee. The Lugar Center has ranked Gary as one of the most bipartisan lawmakers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2020 recognized Gary for his work across the aisle with the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship. Gary’s top priority is solving problems and delivering results for Michigan. He believes the best way to achieve that is by working together in a bipartisan manner. Gary’s top priority in the Senate is growing our economy, creating good-paying jobs in Michigan and strengthening our middle class. As a product of Michigan’s public schools, Gary understands that all of our children deserve a fair chance to succeed, and a good education gives them the tools they need to achieve their full potential. Representing a state that borders four of the five Great Lakes, Gary knows firsthand how important it is for our environment and our economy that we protect our natural resources. Michigan families deserve access to quality, affordable health care coverage that helps protect their financial future. As a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Gary understands our country is facing critical national security challenges. Michiganders count on reliable mail service to receive prescription drugs, paychecks and bills, to cast their ballots, and for small businesses to connect with their customers – especially during the pandemic. While our nation was founded on the principles of equality, justice, and freedom for all, the struggle for civil rights and true equality continues today. Our brave men and women in uniform lay their lives on the line – often far away from their homes and families – to protect our freedoms and defend our way of life. Agriculture is one of Michigan’s biggest industries, essential to our economy, our rural communities and sustaining millions of families who depend on a safe and affordable food supply. As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Gary is focused on reducing wasteful government spending and conducting oversight to hold the federal government accountable and ensure Michiganders’ taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and effectively. Making Government Efficient & Effective Governing by crisis through short-term extensions and budgetary gimmicks is hurting America’s economic growth, and Gary believes we need to take a practical, responsible approach to solving our nation’s fiscal challenges and developing a long-term budget. We cannot grow our economy by slashing vital investments in education, cutting-edge research or job training programs. Gary wants to end harmful spending cuts while making more targeted, strategic cuts to help reduce the deficit. At the same time, we need to be making smart investments in programs that will spur innovation and create good-paying jobs here at home. A key part of fixing the budget is getting rid of unnecessary government spending and saving taxpayer money. The first bill Gary introduced as a new member of the Senate encourages the federal government’s vehicle fleet to use remanufactured automotive parts, which can help cut costs while reducing waste, without compromising safety. He has introduced bipartisan bills to make government more efficient and effective by reviewing duplicative and overlapping programs and by requiring Congress to debate and vote on spending cuts proposed in the President’s annual budget. Gary is the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over government operations and studies the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of the federal government’s various agencies and departments. Fighting for Civil Rights & the Administration of Justice While our nation was founded on the principles of equality, justice, and freedom for all, the struggle for civil rights and true equality continues today. Whether it is ensuring equal access to the ballot box, equality in our justice system or equal treatment under the law, Senator Peters is fighting to make our democracy stronger and fairer for everyone.Every Michigan voter should have the freedom to have his or her voice heard in our elections. Gary is committed to ensuring equal access to the ballot box for all Americans, supporting commonsense efforts to modernize our voter registration system, reduce long wait times to vote and prohibit deceptive practices that could discourage voting. With the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a vital part of the Voting Rights Act, Gary wants to find a sensible, bipartisan solution to restore the law and make sure it protects Michiganders. As a member of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, Gary is also committed to helping ensure our law enforcement officers can do their jobs safely and effectively. He has supported providing additional resources to law enforcement agencies, including funding for bulletproof vests and strong community-oriented policing strategies. Gary has also worked with civil rights groups and law enforcement organizations to address the tough issues confronting our nation today. Civil unrest in our communities has underscored that the fact that our justice system faces serious challeges – from unsustainable costs to overcrowded prisons to disparities in the grand jury process. It has been 50 years since our country’s criminal justice system last had a comprehensive, top-to-bottom review. That is why Gary is working with Senators on both sides of the aisle to create a National Criminal Justice Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of our criminal justice system and identify best practices to protect public safety, promote fairness and strengthen faith in our justice system. No Michigan family should be discriminated against – period. Gary supported the Supreme Court’s historic decision affirming that every American has the right to marry the person they love and raise a family without fear that they will one day be torn apart. But LGBT Americans across the country still lack many legal protections afforded to other Americans. Gary wants to fix the patchwork of anti-discrimination laws that leave millions of Americans without a clear right to rent an apartment, eat at a restaurant, apply for a credit card or keep their jobs simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Creating Jobs & Growing Our Economy Gary’s top priority in the Senate is growing our economy, creating good-paying jobs in Michigan and strengthening our middle class. Our economy has made great strides since the financial crisis, but there is more we can do to encourage our small and large businesses alike to grow and thrive. Michigan has a rich history of innovation and entrepreneurship, and Gary believes we need to continue fostering the new ideas that will fuel our state’s economic growth for decades to come. Autos, Manufacturing & Trade Michigan is the birthplace of the American auto industry, and its booming factories helped win World War II and build America’s middle class. In 2009, Gary worked with President Obama in the midst of the financial crisis to secure the loans necessary to rescue America’s auto industry. These companies have since come roaring back and created thousands of jobs in our state, and Gary wants to ensure that the cars and trucks of the future continue to be built in America and in Michigan. We are on the verge of a technological revolution that will soon allow vehicles to communicate their location, speed, and other data electronically with each other and our transportation infrastructure. These technologies could reduce accidents by as much as 80 percent, reduce fuel consumption, cut congestion and save thousands of lives. As a member of the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, Gary is fighting to ensure these new technologies are being developed, tested and deployed right here in America. He has introduced bipartisan bills to promote investments in vehicle-to-infrastructure technology and to support smart investments in R&D for clean vehicle technologies. Michigan is prepared to continue leading the way in advanced manufacturing, which supports the good-paying jobs that are essential to maintaining a robust middle class. Gary has been a strong supporter of funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the only public-private partnership dedicated to providing technical support and services to small and medium-sized manufacturers. He has also advocated for the long-term reauthorization for the Export-Import Bank, the independent federal agency that helps American companies sell their products overseas. Gary believes that Congress must do more to bring balance to our trade agreements and address issues like currency manipulation and unfair trade and labor practices. Our trade policies should create a level playing field so that American workers and companies who play by the rules can get a fair deal and compete in today’s global economy. He has consistently stood up for tougher enforcement of existing trade rules and has supported strong funding for the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to improve America’s ability to crack down on illegal trade barriers. Small Business & Entrepreneurship Gary knows that small businesses drive our economy, with two out of every three new jobs created by small businesses. He is committed to ensuring that our startups and small business owners have the resources to survive, compete and grow. Access to capital is one of their biggest hurdles, and Senator Peters is working to expand the Small Business Administration’s main lending program to meet growing demand. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Gary helped write and pass the Small Business Jobs Act, which makes it easier for small, community-based financial institutions to increase their capacity to lend and has resulted in billions of dollars in new small business lending activity. He also authored the State Small Business Credit Initiative to create innovative lending programs that are attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in new private sector investments. As a product of Michigan’s public schools, Gary understands that all of our children deserve a fair chance to succeed, and a good education gives them the tools they need to achieve their full potential. Education is a central component of economic development. If America does not lead the world in education, our future workforce will be less productive and less globally competitive. Gary is committed to a strong public education system that provides students with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century global economy. That means access to quality public schools for all children and affordable higher education for all who choose to pursue it. Making sure that all of our children receive the best education possible starts with investing in our schools from early childhood to high school graduation. That includes funding science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education that will help keep American students globally competitive. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Gary helped write the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act, which made landmark investments in STEM education and programs. In the U.S. Senate, Gary is now leading the effort to help shape federal research and development policy priorities previously authorized by the COMPETES Act to improve American innovation and competitiveness. To help our students succeed, we have an obligation to make sure our schools have the resources they need to give the next generation the brightest future possible. Higher education is increasingly essential to a bright economic future, but the cost of college continues to become more and more burdensome for families. With the majority of college students now graduating with significant debt, making higher education more affordable for everyone is a top priority for Gary. That is why he helped introduce legislation to allow borrowers with outstanding student loan debt to refinance at lower interest rates available to new borrowers. He has also introduced bipartisan legislation to help private student loan borrowers rehabilitate defaulted loans and remove the default from their credit report after making a series of on-time payments. Matching the skills we teach with the needs of local employers is critical to closing the skills gap that leaves businesses with unfilled job openings and people out of work. Michigan’s manufacturing and auto industries in particular depend on skilled trade workers, and Gary wants to ensure that our education system is designed to produce this workforce. Better training and coordination can help prepare workers for the job opportunities of today and tomorrow. Protecting Our Great Lakes & Environment Representing a state that borders four of the five Great Lakes, Gary knows firsthand how important it is for our environment and our economy that we protect our natural resources. The Great Lakes are a critical drinking water source, an economic engine and a vital part of our way of life in Michigan. Gary understands that we need policies to help preserve and protect this ecological treasure for future generations. About 40 million people in the United States and Canada count on the Great Lakes as a source of clean drinking water. They are the world’s largest system of fresh surface water, providing about one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water supply. Defending the Great Lakes against pollution and invasive species is essential – not just for preserving fish and wildlife in this fragile ecosystem, but for making sure this is a safe place for our kids and grandkids to swim and play. The Great Lakes also support more than 500,000 jobs in Michigan. From commercial shipping and agriculture to fishing, boating and tourism, the Great Lakes are deeply intertwined with key industries that drive our state’s economy. Gary is a member of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, a bipartisan working group made up of Senators representing the states bordering the Great Lakes. He has been a leader on pushing for enhanced oversight of aging pipelines in the Great Lakes, such as the one running through the Straits of Mackinac, where a pipeline break could trigger an environmental disaster. Gary continues to support robust funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and is working to protect the Great Lakes from threats ranging from plastic micro-beads and Asian carp to proposed permanent nuclear waste storage. He is working to help Michigan’s waterfront communities develop smart, forward-thinking strategies to revitalize their local economies and make the most of their water resources. We must constantly be looking towards the future by investing in clean energy job creation and supporting measures to tackle the threat of climate change, which exacerbates current challenges in the Great Lakes like algal blooms and invasive species. Gary is committed to building climate resiliency for our communities and standing firm against attacks on environmental protections. He will fight efforts to undermine our nation’s key environmental laws, and he has opposed plans to develop our most sensitive ecosystems, like the Arctic. He is working in Congress to permanently authorize and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an indispensable tool for protecting our state’s most treasured natural places for all to enjoy. He has also introduced the Vehicle Innovation Act to improve advanced vehicle technology R&D that will boost fuel economy, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Michigan families deserve access to quality, affordable health care coverage that helps protect their financial future. Because of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, insurance companies can no longer discriminate because of pre-existing conditions. Women cannot be charged more than men for their health care simply because of their gender. Young people getting their start in life can stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26. People are no longer locked into a job because they need health care. Health care cost increases are finally being brought under control. Millions of Americans are finally gaining some measure of security and stability through affordable health coverage. Gary supports bipartisan, commonsense efforts to fix the law to make health care reform work better for Michiganders and our small businesses, but he also understands that the law is helping millions of Americans access health insurance, and we cannot afford to lose these new protections and reforms. The Supreme Court has twice upheld key provisions of the law, and Gary will continue to stand up against partisan efforts to repeal the law and go back to a dysfunctional system that puts insurance companies in charge at the expense of Michigan’s families. As a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, Gary understands our country is facing critical national security challenges. Whether it’s preventing a nuclear-armed Iran or fighting terrorism and extremism, Gary is committed to keeping the American people safe and secure against these threats. It is more important than ever that our federal, state, and local governments are able to effectively and efficiently respond to threats, natural disasters and other emergencies. As a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Gary is fighting to ensure we have the tools necessary to secure our borders, support our first responders, prepare and respond to natural disasters, protect critical infrastructure and information systems, and prevent terrorist attacks here at home and abroad. Honoring Our Military & Veterans Our brave men and women in uniform lay their lives on the line – often far away from their homes and families – to protect our freedoms and defend our way of life. After more than a decade at war, our nation has had a dramatic increase in the number of new veterans, including an influx of women and former guardsmen and reservists. We must ensure that when they call on us, we are there to help. Whether it’s fighting for increased funding for veterans job training programs or dealing with the VA backlog, Gary is always looking for ways to help our service members, veterans and military families who have sacrificed so much for us. As a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve and the son of a World War II veteran, Gary has a deep, personal commitment to keeping our promises to America’s veterans. In the Senate, Gary is working to ensure veterans who may have been erroneously discharged from the military because of mental traumas like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) receive fair treatment and don’t lose access to the benefits they have earned through their service. Gary has also introduced bipartisan legislation to extend a tax credit for small businesses that provide differential pay to military reservists and National Guard members called to serve on active duty. Agriculture is one of Michigan’s biggest industries, keeping our economy strong, supporting our rural communities and sustaining millions of families who depend on a safe and affordable food supply. As the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation, Michigan’s blueberries, apples, cherries and sugar beets are just a handful of the roughly 300 crops we grow and ship across the country and the world. Agriculture accounts for one out of four Michigan jobs, and our hardworking farmers, growers and producers use our state’s unique climate and resources to support this important industry and help feed the nation. Gary is proud to have voted for the bipartisan Farm Bill in 2014 to support Michigan’s thriving agricultural industry. The Farm Bill provides much-needed certainty to our farmers and agricultural producers while investing in the success of our small towns and rural communities. Gary supports policies that empower women to get equal pay for equal work and make their own health care decisions. As a father and a husband, he believes these rights make our families stronger and better equipped to succeed. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Gary helped pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act overturning the 180-day statute of limitations for women to seek a legal remedy for lost wages caused by pay discrimination. In the U.S. Senate, he supports the Paycheck Fairness Act that would give women the information they need to better fight wage disparity in the workplace and earn equal pay for equal work. With more and more households counting on a woman’s income to pay the bills and put food on the table, wage discrimination hurts families, and Gary will continue to work until the gender wage gap is closed once and for all. Gary also believes that women have a fundamental right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health, in consultation with their doctor and their faith – without intrusion from politicians. That is why he supports a plan to prohibit states from imposing burdensome requirements that seek to restrict access to reproductive health care. Gary also wants to prevent for-profit employers from being able to deny their female employees coverage of contraception and other vital health services, and he is working to explicitly prohibit this kind of corporate interference. Source: Government page 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 included the eastern half of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac, from 2009 to 2015 (the district was Michigan’s 9th congressional district until 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.[1] 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.[2][3] Peters was reelected in 2020, defeating Republican challenger John E. James in a close race.[4] On January 28, 2021, Peters was selected as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2022 election cycle.[5] He was later selected again for the 2024 cycle.[6] Peters will become Michigan’s senior senator when Debbie Stabenow retires in January 2025.[7] Gary Charles Peters was born December 1, 1958, in Pontiac, Michigan,[8] where he grew up. He is the son of Madeleine A. (née Vignier) and Herbert Garrett Peters, a historian and statistician.[9][10] His mother was a French war bride and his father was American.[11] 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.[12][13][14] He also earned a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College.[14] Peters joined the United States Navy Reserve in 1993 at age 34.[15] He served more than ten years in units at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, including Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 26.[15] During his Navy service, Peters earned the Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist designation and carried out assignments as an assistant supply officer.[15] Peters’s reserve duty included time in the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch; he served overseas again during increased military activity following the September 11 attacks.[15] Peters attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander before leaving the Reserve in 2008; his awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.[15][16] In 2018, he received a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff.[17] Peters worked for 22 years as a financial advisor, serving as an assistant vice president at Merrill Lynch from 1980 until 1989, when he joined Paine Webber as a vice president.[18][19][20] From 2007 to 2008, Peters served as the third Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government at Central Michigan University. In that part-time position, he taught one class a semester, plus preparing additional student activities including two policy forums, and developing a journal of Michigan politics and policy, for $65,000 a year.[21] Peters announced his candidacy to run for Congress two months after being hired.[22] Some student and faculty members protested Peters’s hiring, saying he could not be objective in the classroom while running for office and that the university job was subsidizing his campaign.[22][23] Peters also has taught finance at Wayne State and strategic management and business policy courses at Oakland University.[19] Peters was a senior policy and financial analyst for the Michigan Department of Treasury[24] and served on arbitration panels for the New York Stock Exchange and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Peters served on the Rochester Hills City Council from 1991 to 1993.[25][26] After a failed attempt in 1990, Peters was elected to the Michigan Senate to represent the Oakland County-based 14th district in November 1994. He was reelected in 1998 and served until 2002, stepping down then due to the state’s term limits. Peters was succeeded in the 14th district by Gilda Jacobs. The 14th district is one of the most diverse state Senate districts – containing nearly every racial, ethnic, and religious group in Michigan. Located in southeastern Oakland County, it includes the cities of Pontiac, Bloomfield Hills, Southfield, and Oak Park. Peters was chosen by his Democratic colleagues to chair his party’s caucus. He was also a member of the Michigan Law Revision Commission and served on the Michigan Sentencing Commission.[27] Both the Michigan State House of Representatives and the Senate passed a bill sponsored by Peters which banned any new wells under the state waters of the Great Lakes except in case of a state energy emergency. The bill passed into law without the signature of Governor John Engler.[28] Peters served as the vice chairman of the Senate Finance, Education, Judiciary and Economic Development Committees. He was also a member of the Natural Resources and the Mental Health and Human Services Committee.[27] In his final year as a member of the Michigan Senate, Peters was a candidate for governor and later for Attorney General. As the Democratic nominee for attorney general, he lost in November 2002 to Republican Mike Cox by about 5,200 votes – less than a 0.17 percent margin.[30][31] Peters decided not to contest the election results despite reported irregularities. Several mistakes were reportedly found during analysis, including a precinct in Dearborn which recorded Peters with 96 votes when he actually had 396. The race was the closest statewide contest in Michigan since the 1950 gubernatorial race.[32] Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Peters as the Michigan Lottery commissioner on April 9, 2003.[33][34][35] On August 7, 2007, Peters ended months of speculation by formally announcing he would run against eight-term Republican congressman Joe Knollenberg in the 9th district, which included almost all of Oakland County. Peters resigned as state lottery commissioner to devote his full energy to the campaign. Knollenberg was considered vulnerable due to an increasing Democratic trend in what was once a classic bastion of suburban conservatism. Knollenberg’s opponents in 2002 and 2004 had performed significantly below the Democratic base in the district, but he was nearly defeated in 2006 by Nancy Skinner, a former radio talk-show host who spent virtually no money – the closest a Republican had come to losing the district in almost half a century. This led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to target Knollenberg for defeat. In the 2002 state attorney general race, Peters performed at or above the Democratic base in 72 percent of the 9th district precincts. In his 1998 state Senate campaign, he performed at or above base in 99 percent of the precincts.[36] Peters won the November 4 election by 33,524 votes, taking 52 percent of the vote to Knollenberg’s 43 percent. Barack Obama carried Oakland County by 15 points; roughly two-thirds of Oakland County was in the 9th. Peters was the fourth person and first Democrat to represent the district since its creation in 1933[37] (it had previously been the 17th district from 1933 to 1953, the 18th from 1953 to 1973, the 19th from 1973 to 1983, the 18th from 1983 to 1993, the 11th from 1993 to 2003, and became the 9th in 2003). In November 2010, Peters defeated challenges by Republican Andrew “Rocky” Raczkowski, Libertarian Adam Goodman, Independent Bob Gray, Independent Matthew Kuofie, and Green Douglas Campbell.[38] Due to the state’s population decline, as reflected by the 2010 Federal Census, Michigan lost one congressional district. As a result of the subsequent redistricting of house seats, much of Peters’s 9th district, including his home in Bloomfield Hills, was merged with the 12th district, represented by fellow Democrat Sander Levin. The new district retained Peters’s district number (the 9th) but geographically was more Levin’s district.[citation needed] In September 2011, Peters opted to run in the newly redrawn 14th district. The district had previously been the 13th district, represented by freshman Democrat Hansen Clarke. The redrawn district is based in Detroit, but contains a large chunk of Peters’s old State Senate district and portions of his old congressional district. Indeed, Peters had represented most of the Oakland County portion of the district at one time or another. Due to Detroit’s dwindling population, it was no longer possible to keep the district exclusively within Wayne County.[citation needed] In the August 2012 Democratic primary, Peters defeated Clarke, who had opted to follow most of his constituents into the reconfigured 14th even though his home had been drawn into the reconfigured 13th (the old 14th), and Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence.[39] The 14th was a heavily Democratic, 58 percent black-majority district, and Peters was overwhelmingly favored in November. As expected, he bested Republican John Hauler in the general election with 82 percent of the vote.[40] He was the first white congressman to represent a significant portion of Detroit since 1993.[citation needed] Peters was sworn into his first term in January 2009. During his time in office, he voted for the Recovery Act, also known as the stimulus,[41] the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,[42] the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would have established a national emissions trading plan, but was not passed by the full Congress,[43] the Paycheck Fairness Act, also not passed into law,[44] the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act,[45] and the DREAM Act[46] to provide conditional permanent residency to certain immigrants. Peters worked with the Obama administration to obtain debt forgiveness for Chrysler.[47] House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said Peters was the “single most effective person” in fighting against the forces that wanted to let Detroit go bankrupt.[48] In Congress, Peters opposed a plan to provide disaster relief aid, the funds for which would have come from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program.[49] In July 2010, the Michigan Messenger wrote that Peters was “criticizing the leadership of his own party. Peters and three other Democratic legislators … this week formed the Spending Cuts and Deficit Reduction Working Group and proposed a series of bills to cut spending. Peters’s bill makes cuts in the federal energy budget.”[50] “We have been growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of action and talking about specifics and putting those on the table,” Peters said. “We’ve been frustrated with both Democratic leadership and Republicans.”[51] Peters allied himself with the Occupy Wall Street movement, making an appearance at Occupy Detroit on November 6, 2011. Speaking to reporters, he said: “It’s speculation on Wall Street that we’re still paying the price for here, particularly in Detroit that almost brought the auto industry to a collapse because of what we saw on Wall Street. So we put in restrictions, or put in regulations necessary to reign that in, and right now in Washington I’m facing a Republican majority that wants to undo that.”[52] In 2011, Peters was one of 118 house Democrats who signed a letter to the president urging him to support the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a multinational organization that provides health services (including birth control) to women, children and families in more than 150 countries.[53] In 2014, Peters voiced opposition to a Michigan law which prohibits insurers from offering abortion coverage as a standard feature in health plans.[54] Peters was named senior whip for the Democratic caucus in 2013.[55] In 2014, Peters ran for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Carl Levin.[56] Peters was endorsed by Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow, and his entrance largely cleared the field of potential Democratic challengers.[57] Peters’s largest independent supporter was the Senate Majority PAC, which spent almost $3.2 million for ads attacking Peters’s opponent in the race.[58][59][60][61] In July 2014, Senator Elizabeth Warren supported Peters at a campaign fundraising event.[62] While the campaign was considered competitive early on, various missteps by the campaign of his Republican Party opponent Terri Lynn Land and her reluctance to appear in public benefited the Peters campaign; he had consistent leads in polls late in the campaign.[63][64][65] Peters faced Republican nominee John E. James in the November 2020 general election.[66] James previously ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2018 against fellow Senator Debbie Stabenow. Less than a month before the election, he became the first sitting U.S. senator ever to publicly reveal a personal family experience with abortion.[67] Peters was reelected to a second term, though by a closer margin (1.7%) than expected.[68] Peters was participating in the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol. Along with other senators and staff, Peters was evacuated from the Senate floor when rioters breached the Capitol.[69] He hid in a secure location, where he tweeted that the attacks were “dangerous, unacceptable and an attack on our democracy – and must stop.”[70] Peters blamed Trump, calling him “a clear and present danger” and calling for his immediate removal from office through the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution or impeachment.[71][72] Peters also called for investigations into the security and intelligence failure that resulted in the breaching of the Capitol and the five deaths.[69] He led the investigation as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.[73] In the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy, Peters was ranked the 17th most bipartisan member of the U.S. Senate (and the 4th most bipartisan Democrat) during the 115th U.S. Congress.[75] The American Conservative Union gave him a 7% lifetime conservative rating 2020.[76] In March 2021, the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked Peters the most effective senator in the 116th Congress (2019-2021), despite being in the minority party.[77] Peters supports abortion rights. In the late 1980s, his first wife had a wanted pregnancy that failed at four months, but her miscarriage did not proceed naturally, causing a health emergency. Their hospital did not perform abortions, but they were able to obtain an emergency abortion at another hospital in part because they were friends with the hospital’s administrator.[67] He has supported the Paycheck Fairness Act and in 2015 voted in favor of the Violence Against Women Act.[78] In March 2017, Peters cosponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S. 720), which made it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.[79][80] In November 2017, in response to efforts by China to purchase tech companies based in the US, Peters was one of nine senators to cosponsor a bill that would broaden the federal government’s ability to prevent foreign purchases of U.S. firms through increasing the strength of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The CFIUS’s scope would be expanded to allow it to review along with possibly decline smaller investments and add additional national security factors for CFIUS to consider, including whether information about Americans would be exposed as part of transactions or whether the deal would facilitate fraud.[81] Peters is a gun owner.[82] In 2010, he had a D rating from the National Rifle Association of America; by 2020, Peters had an F rating.[83] In the wake of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Peters participated in the Chris Murphy gun control filibuster.[84] In January 2019, Peters was one of 40 senators to introduce the Background Check Expansion Act, a bill that would require background checks for the sale or transfer of all firearms. Exceptions to the bill’s background check requirement included transfers between members of law enforcement, loaning firearms for hunting or sporting events on a temporary basis, providing them as gifts to members of one’s immediate family, transferring them as part of an inheritance, or giving one to another person temporarily for immediate self-defense.[85][86] In 2009, Peters voted for the Affordable Care Act.[87] He has opposed attempts to repeal the law, and supported a Medicare public option to expand health care access.[78] On February 4, 2021, Peters voted against providing COVID-19 pandemic financial support to undocumented immigrants.[88] Peters is married to Colleen Ochoa from Waterford Township, Michigan. Peters has three children. They reside in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.[89] According to financial disclosure documents, Peters had assets between $1.7 million and $6.3 million at the end of 2014.[90] In 2014, Peters’s net worth ranked 37th in the Senate.[91] Peters received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 2019.[92] Peters is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.[93] His ancestor William Garrett served in the Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War alongside General Washington at Valley Forge during the harsh winter of 1777–1778.[94][95][96][16][97] Peters is an avid motorcyclist and has made a tradition of annual motorcycle tours of Michigan.[98] Peters is an Episcopalian. He has said his religion is important to him and “gives me comfort in rough times”.[99] Education
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