<p>INDIANAPOLIS — The manager of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign is entering the race to become the Indiana Democratic Party’s new leader.</p>
<p>Mike Schmuhl announced Wednesday his bid to replace <a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-60e8bde255f92c9a68af490a6c65582d">state Democratic Chairman John Zody,</a> who announced in November he wouldn’t seek reelection to the position he’s held for eight years.</p>
<p>Schmuhl said the state Democratic Party “needs a fresh vision and a strategic plan to start winning again to improve the lives of Hoosiers.”</p>
<p>Indiana Democrats have suffered several years of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-health-eric-holcomb-8d742a6a85888a154585dc6931bfeaa4">devastating election losses,</a> not winning any statewide races since 2012 and holding no positions of power in state government.</p>
<p>Schmuhl will be running with Marion County Clerk Myla Eldridge as a candidate for party vice chair.</p>
<p>Schmuhl was Buttigieg’s mayoral chief of staff and campaign manager before Buttigieg launched his longshot presidential bid in 2019. Buttigieg outperformed expectations, finishing the Iowa caucuses in a virtual tie with Sen. Bernie Sanders, and has been confirmed as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-biden-cabinet-climate-cabinets-transportation-adaccf75c41ecf0b1628c009521d425f">President Joe Biden’s transportation secretary.</a></p>
<p>Trish Whitcomb, who was the manager of Democrat Glena Ritz’s successful 2012 campaign for state schools superintendent, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/campaigns-indiana-joe-donnelly-archive-elections-0c71349bb5c379755ba7acd339d97844">entered the state chair’s race</a> last month.</p>
<p>The state Democratic central committee is scheduled to vote on a new party leader in March.</p>
