Pete Buttigieg's tenure as South Bend mayor ends ahead of Iowa caucuses, James Mueller takes over
New Year’s Day saw Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg become the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as his term concluded on the day. James Mueller was sworn in as the new mayor.
Buttigieg, who has taken long strides ahead of the Iowa caucuses slated to be held on February 3, had announced in February 2018 that he would not seek re-election as mayor and handpicked James Mueller as his successor, Axios reported. Mueller has served as the chief of staff in Buttigieg’s administration, which has been in charge since January 1, 2012. Mueller also won a crowded primary for the city’s Democratic nomination in May 2019.
The completion of Buttigieg’s term will help him devote more time to the presidential campaign, which will gain momentum with the Iowa battle. In June last year, the Democrat had to take time off his campaign after protests started in South Bend following the shooting of a black man by a cop.
Buttigieg will also value his freedom from the heavy responsibilities of a mayor at a time when some of the Democratic candidates, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bennet, will have to be in Washington to attend the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the Senate.
Buttigieg raised nearly $25 million towards 2019 end
In another news that would delight Buttigieg’s supporters, he raised $24.7 million over the final three months of 2019, taking his total funds raised to over $76 million since he launched his presidential campaign. This was revealed by his campaign team on January 1.
"With more than 2 million donations by more than 733,000 individuals in 2019, it's clear the American people are responding to Pete's message of rallying our country together around bold solutions that will build the coalition we need to beat Trump and usher in a new era the day after Trump leaves office," Buttigieg's campaign manager Mike Schmuhl was quoted as saying by NBC News.