Incumbent mayor Ken McClure was challenged by opponent Marcus Aton.

[1] Springfield mayoral elections are nonpartisan and candidates are not affiliated with a specific party on ballots.

McClure previously served as a member of the Springfield City Council beginning in 2015 and was chief of staff to former governor Matt Blunt from 2004 to 2006 and was vice president of Missouri State University until his retirement in 2015.

Aton criticized McClure's and the city's handling of COVID-19, arguing that stay-at-home orders and capacity limitations, as well as mask mandates were hurting the city, while McClure noted that a majority of Springfield residents supported the mandates.

[4] Aton himself was questioned about his eligibility for running for mayor as a letter was sent to the county clerk stating Aton and his brother had not been living in the city long enough to qualify for positions, showing tax returns from 2019 and 2020 had listed their address in nearby Rogersville.