TAKOMA PARK, MD – Inspired by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s unprecedented presidential run, the mayoral race in Takoma Park is unexpectedly heating up. A record-breaking number of candidates have filed with the hope that winning this $15,000 per year job leading a town of 18,000 residents will make them a top national contender for the 2024 Democratic Primary.
“If a mayor from South Bend can do it, so can a mayor of any small city,” said Takoma Park mayoral candidate Burt Kenny. “And I’m pretty sure running a small little city like Takoma Park can’t be that difficult. I’m sure most people here are so occupied with national politics that they don’t really pay any attention to trivial local issues.”
Although far apart geographically, mayoral hopefuls seeking to follow Buttigieg’s path see similarities between South Bend and Takoma Park: both are considered very liberal for their respective states and both smugly look down on their neighboring communities. Much like South Bend’s industrial, blue-collar population, Takoma Park’s roots run deep in craft beer brewing, chicken raising, and hand-knitting scarves for trees and rooster statues.
So far, forty two candidates have filed the necessary paperwork to enter the race this year, up from only three at this point in 2016. Since Takoma Park is one of the few small towns in the area with a mayor, candidates are even moving to the liberal enclave from unincorporated areas in the hope of earning the title of “the Most Liberal Democratic Candidate Besides Bernie.”
For anyone else with ambitions of running for President of the United States, the info to run for Mayor of Takoma Park (as well as city council) can be found here: https://takomaparkmd.gov/candidate-information/
