Gary Peters, Mitt Romney’s niece could be gunning for Carl Levin’s Senate seat in 2014

A familiar face is expected to be a top contender for filling long time U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the longest serving senator in Michigan history.

U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, former Griffin Endowed Chair at Central Michigan University, is regarded as a battle-tested front-runner who has won three highly contended races.

In a recent interview with the Detroit Free Press, Peters said it is critical for Democrats to hold onto Levin’s seat in order to ensure a majority control and that he would “seriously consider” a run.

“I have been impressed by (Peters’) bipartisan legislative skills and the depth of his knowledge of Michigan issues,” political science professor James Hill said. “I think he would be an excellent candidate for this job, and his election and re-election skills as a Democrat in a state that has a Republican majority in the House shows he has the ability to win this race if he chooses to run.”

A few Republicans of note potentially gunning for Levin’s seat include Ronna Romney McDaniel, 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s niece, and U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Grand Rapids.

“It’s critical the GOP reach out to women,” Romney McDaniel said. “So, if this is the avenue to do that, then that might be the course I take.”

On the other hand, Amash, a self-described opponent of the GOP establishment, is a fiscal conservative and prominent civil libertarian. At the age of 32, he advocates for a more transparent government and is the only U.S. representative who posts all of his votes and the underlying reasoning behind each one on Facebook.

“Frankly, we can’t afford to nominate another unelectable establishment Republican,” Amash told The Detroit News. “History shows they don’t appeal to moderate and independent voters.”

Levin, who has held his Senate seat since 1979, is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he successfully co-produced bi-partisan defense budgets throughout every year of his tenure.

As a vocal supporter of the auto industry and Michigan manufacturing, Levin was in addition arguably the most adamant Senate supporter of the 2008 auto bailouts.

“This decision (to retire) was extremely difficult because I love representing the people of Michigan in the U.S. Senate and fighting for the things that I believe are important to them,” Levin said in a statement. “(My wife and I) decided that I can best serve my state and nation by concentrating in the next two years on the challenging issues before us that I am in a position to help address; in other words, by doing my job without the distraction of campaigning for re-election.”

Levin said he wished to use his remaining time in the Senate to focus on tax avoidance schemes and investigating secret money contributions of political campaign financing. Additionally, Levin said he is looking to ensure sensible military funding, as well as the transferring of Afghanistan’s security to the Afghan people.