Peter Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announced Monday he is not seeking a third term as mayor, clearing the decks for a possible bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
The announcement comes days before Mr. Buttigieg is scheduled to return to Iowa to headline a Progress Iowa event that will also feature Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, another pair of possible 2020 contenders.
Mr. Buttigieg introduced himself to voters across the country in 2016 when he launched a long-shot bid for chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
A Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar and openly gay military veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan, Mr. Buttigieg lost the race, but he left a strong impression on party leaders and activists, including former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a former head of the DNC, who said the 36-year-old checked off a lot of boxes for Democrats.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.