Gary Peters is a former CIA analyst and Navy Reserve officer who brings a national security background to his role as one of the Senate's more moderate Democrats. Before joining the Senate in 2015, he served three terms in the House and worked as an investment advisor, giving him experience across both financial and defense policy areas. Peters is known for his pragmatic approach to governance and his focus on manufacturing issues important to Michigan's economy, often working across party lines on infrastructure and automotive industry priorities. He gained national attention in 2019 when he became the first sitting senator in decades to publicly share his family's personal experience with abortion, speaking out during Supreme Court confirmation hearings.