Mr. Buttigieg, who turns 38 on Jan. 19, has the rare distinction of being a presidential candidate whose day job ended in the heat of his national candidacy. He leaves the stewardship of the city, where he grew up, as a household name — though a name even locals sometimes stumble over. Is it “Buddha-judge,” as most in South Bend seem to say, or, as the presidential campaign mnemonic has it, “Boot Edge Edge”?

One thing for sure: The candidate will no longer be able to say, “Mayor Pete is fine.”

Elected mayor when he was 29, Mr. Buttigieg announced in December 2018 that he would not seek a third term. He jumped into the presidential race one month later. Year-end fund-raising figures his campaign announced on Wednesday reported a door-busting $24.7 million haul in the final quarter, and more than $76 million for the year.

“We started out as an exploratory committee with four people in a little office,” Mr. Buttigieg reminisced about his presidential start in the exit interview on Tuesday. “We had no money, not much of a mailing list even.’’

Mr. Buttigieg may have left office, but his mayoral tenure will hardly recede. As he heads into Iowa and New Hampshire voting next month as a leading candidate, his record is drawing strafing fire from opponents who question his experience and results.