Juan Manigault, who unsuccessfully tried to unseat South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke in 2007, will step to the helm of Luke Puckett’s campaign for Congress.

Puckett, a Republican, is challenging first-term U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger.

Manigault will take a paid position with Puckett’s campaign as its chairman, serving in a mostly fund-raising capacity and as an adviser, he said Wednesday.

In 2007, Luecke defeated Manigault by a nearly two-to-one margin, picking up 62 percent of the vote.

Manigault said he has no regrets from that campaign and that its lessons will serve him well with Puckett, who’s running in a district Republicans consider very competitive.

“Let’s be real -- it’s a tough year,” Manigault said. “But as we look at individual districts, this is a winnable district for Luke Puckett.”

Donnelly’s campaign declined to comment on Manigault’s new position.

But Owen “Butch” Morgan, chairman of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party, said Manigault wasn’t well received in South Bend during his mayoral campaign, and that Donnelly has a lot of momentum having traveled the 2nd District extensively since taking office in 2007.

“If he does as well as he did in the mayoral (campaign), I’m feeling good,” Morgan said. “Luke Puckett or anybody else is not going to outwork Joe Donnelly. It’s not going to happen.”

Read more about this story in Thursday’s South Bend Tribune.