Governor Pete? Buttigieg plays it coy when asked about eventually running

Could Buttigieg become 'Governor Pete' in Michigan?

In two years Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can't run for re-election after her second term in office. The state will be electing a new governor - could that be a landing spot?

FOX 2 (WJBK) - The mayor of Indiana wanted to be president but settled instead to be President Joe Biden's transportation secretary.

His name? Pete Buttigieg and he concedes that he will not be staying in that post forever. How about running for office in this state?

As a legal Michigan resident, how about running for office here? After all, there will be an opening in the US Senate Seat now occupied by the soon-to-be retiring, Debbie Stabenow.

Did you think about it Mr. Secretary?

"It crossed my mind, people ask you questions," Buttigieg said. "I know the job that's on my plate right now. It didn't take me long to know that as much as I care about that seat being in the right hands, those hands aren't mine."

Alright then, in two years Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can't run for re-election after her second term in office. The state will be electing a new governor - could that be a landing spot?

Tim Skubick: "So how does 'Governor Pete' strike you?"

"You know I've got one job, I've got two titles that really matter to me," he said. "One is father and the other is secretary and those are keeping me busy."

Skubick: "Mr. Secretary, it's a simple question - have you ever thought about running for governor?"

"Not in a serious way," Buttigieg said.

Slubick: "That's a great line, you didn’t 'seriously' think about it. In your 'unserious' moments what did you think?"

"It's not a serious answer because it's not a serious question," he said.

Skubick: "Say for me 'I don't want to be governor of Michigan.'"

"I don't think about how much I want to, or don't want to have jobs besides what I've got," he said.

Note that Buttigieg didn't answer the direct question of whether he is ruling out running for governor. Nor has he apparently ruled out a bid to run for president, again.