It’s not unusual for a presidential campaign to stop in South Bend, but it would be unprecedented for one to start here.

“I think they’re going to have 10,000 people there, or maybe even more, which could make it the largest political rally in city history, and it’s going to get a lot of national attention also,” political analyst Jack Colwell told NewsCenter 16.

Out on the national stage, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been walking and talking like a presidential candidate since he formed an exploratory committee in late January.

“If you've already raised $7 million, you're already on all these interview programs, all over the nation, speeches all over the nation, it’s pretty obvious you are a candidate,” Colwell concluded.

On Wednesday, American flags lined Michigan Street through South Bend’s downtown business district, where Buttigieg is scheduled to make an important announcement Sunday, drawing attention to himself and to the city where his political career began.

"It’s going to be historic, it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be a lot of fun, I think,” said Steve Lowe, owner of South Bend Brew Werks. “I kind of feel like Brew Works opened five years ago, was part of the revitalization that began to happen under Mayor Pete and his administration as they started to make things happen downtown.”

Colwell says the positive publicity the campaign has brought to the city is immeasurable.

“The chamber of commerce couldn’t possibly have spent enough money to achieve that kind of publicity nationwide,” he said.

As it turns out, the political campaign and the city public relations campaign is just beginning.

“I think it’s a big surprise; it's a surprise, I think, even to the mayor. I don't think he dreamed he would have advanced this far, this fast,” Colwell said. “Ranking third in one of the polls in Iowa and raising $7 million and his book becoming a best-seller, I don't think they expected to reach that plateau quite yet.”

There’s still no official word on a starting time for Sunday’s event, but an online post from the campaign indicates more than 200 watch parties are being organized to view the streamed speech all across the U.S.