2019 South Bend, Indiana mayoral election

Speculation began to arise in early 2017, during Buttigieg's unsuccessful campaign in the Democratic National Committee chairmanship election, that he might not seek reelection,[17][18] with some speculation even existing that he might resign before the end of his second term.[19] Potential candidates, considering runs if Buttigieg were not to run, began to emerge.[17][18]

While a quite competitive race, the Democratic primary was rather tame in its character, with very little mudslinging between candidates.[20] In early January, immediately before the filing period for candidates would begin, prospective candidates James Mueller, Jason Critchlow, Lynn Coleman, and Aaron Perri held a meeting in which they agreed that, if they ran, they would try to keep the city's Democratic Party unified.[13][21]

In February, Buttigieg endorsed candidate James Mueller as his preferred successor.[22][23] Mueller largely ran a campaign promising to continue the progress made under Buttigieg's mayoralty.[24] Buttigieg appeared in campaign ads for Mueller and even donated to Mueller's campaign.[25] Mueller, a first-time candidate for public office, ultimately won a solid victory in a crowded primary field.[22] Prior to launching his campaign Mueller lacked name recognition.[26] Mueller, followed by Critchlow, was the candidate that led in fundraising.[27][28]

Mueller was not alone in praising Buttigieg's tenure and promising to build upon it. Critchlow, for one, also praised Buttigieg's leadership and promised to continue the progress made under it.[29]

Candidate Regina Williams-Preston was somewhat critical of the incumbent mayor, being particularly critical of his Vacant & Abandoned Properties Initiative[30][31][32][33] (she had first run for her Common Council seat in 2015 as a strong opponent of the initiative).[34][35] However, she also offered praise for making more funds and resources available to low-income residents for the purposes of repairing their homes.[34] Williams-Preston is the daughter of George Williams, Jr., who in 1975 ran for the Republican nomination for mayor, the first black man to seek the city's mayoralty.[36][37]

No ethnic minority has ever been elected mayor of South Bend.[38] This meant that if either Oliver Davis (African American),[39][40] Shane Inez (Afro-Latin American),[41] Salvador Rodriguez (Hispanic),[42] or Williams-Preston (African American)[43] were successfully elected mayor, they would have been the first ethnic minorities to hold the office. No woman has been mayor of South Bend,[44] thus Williams-Preston would also have been the first female mayor if she had been elected.

On March 5 Indiana University South Bend hosted a debate attended by seven of the candidates for mayor.[45][46] Further debates and forums were hosted by IU South Bend.[47][48] A forum was also hosted by the local NAACP.[49]

In the weeks leading up to the primary, Mueller, Critchlow, and Coleman were the three candidates who had the greatest television advertising presence.[20]

• Lynn Coleman, current community liaison at Memorial Hospital, former South Bend police officer, former special assistant to mayor Steve Luecke, and Democratic nominee for Indiana's 2nd congressional district in 2016[24][50][51]
• Jason Critchlow, senior project manager for a clinical research company and the former chairman of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party[24][50]
• Oliver Davis, 6th district South Bend City Councilor and Vice-President of Common Council, former President of the Common Council[24][50][52][53][54]
• James Mueller, former chief of staff to mayor Pete Buttigieg and former executive director of community investment for South Bend[24][50][53][55]
• Will Smith, entrepreneur[24][50][56]
• Regina Williams-Preston, 2nd District City Councilor and teacher[24][33][50][53]
• Richard O. Wright, Downtown South Bend Ambassador[24][50][57]

Withdrawn

• Shane Inez, teenage entrepreneur[24][50][53]
• Salvador G. Rodriguez[24][58][50][59]

Declined to run

• Pete Buttigieg, incumbent Mayor of South Bend, Democratic candidate for President of the United States[3]
• Ryan Dvorak, state representative and 2011 mayoral candidate[18]
• Michael Hamann, St. Joseph County Auditor, former St. Joseph County Council member, and 2011 mayoral candidate[18][60]
• David L. Niezgodski, state senator and former state representative[21]
• Aaron Perri, South Bend Director of Venues, Parks and Arts and former executive director of Downtown South Bend [52][53][18][61][62][63]
• Tim Scott, 1st District South Bend City Councilor[61] and Common Council President[64]

Results by district

  Mueller

  Coleman

Mueller placed first in Districts 1, 3, 4, and 5.[77] Coleman placed first in Districts 2 and 6.[77] The two districts where a plurality of the vote was carried by Coleman are the city's only majority-minority districts.[78]

Two Common Council members running for mayor failed to carry their own districts, with Regina Williams-Preston winning only 119 votes in the 2nd district (finishing 5th-place there) and Oliver Davis winning only 138 votes in the 6th district (finishing 4th-place there).[77]

Out of 87 voting precincts, Mueller won 41, Coleman won 22, and Critchlow won 17.[77]

Sean M. Haas ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.[12]

With a turnout of 908 voters,[12] the Republican primary is the second-lowest Republican primary turnout in modern South Bend mayoral election history.[79][80][81]

Turnout among registered voters was approximately 15%, up 1% from the previous mayoral election.[78]

Vote totals were 14,882.[78][93][94] This was below the average of vote totals for South Bend mayoral elections since 1999, which was 15,826.[78] The vote total, however, would rank at the median among South Bend mayoral elections since 1999.[95][96][97][79][98]

Mueller's victory marked the 13th straight South Bend mayoral election in which a Democrat has won.[99] The last South Bend mayoral election won by a Republican was in 1967.[99] Democrats have won all South Bend mayoral elections since 1971.

Mueller carried four of the city's five districts. Haas carried the city's 5th district (winning 51% of the vote there)[78] The 5th district has some strongly Republican precincts,[100] and for decades has been represented on South Bend's common council by a Republican (being the city's only district represented by a Republican ever since 1991).[101]

Mueller performed strongest in majority-minority neighborhoods.[78] The 2nd and 6th districts are the city's only majority non-white districts. In the combined vote of these two districts, Mueller enjoyed 68% of the vote.[78]