Two months ago, the voters of Hattiesburg, Miss., tried to pick a mayor, but the outcome became the subject of a court battle that resulted in a mistrial on Tuesday.

For now, the incumbent, Johnny L. DuPree, remains in office, while the political stalemate continues.

Mr. DuPree, the Democratic candidate for governor in 2011, has been locked in a bitter battle with former City Councilman Dave Ware since the June 4 balloting, which ultimately gave Mr. DuPree a 37-vote advantage.

Mr. Ware, who ran for mayor as an independent, and his backers have waged a relentless battle since the vote, arguing that Mr. DuPree benefited from invalid absentee ballots and pervasive election fraud. (City officials also acknowledged that they had left a ballot-filled box unmonitored for a time after the vote, but said they found no evidence of tampering.)