2024 Baltimore mayoral election

The 2024 Baltimore mayoral election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland.

2024 Baltimore mayoral election

← 2020 November 5, 2024 2028 →
Turnout	58.35% 2.53 pp[1]
Nominee Brandon Scott Shannon Wright Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 179,732 36,484 Percentage 82.15% 16.68%
Precinct results Scott:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Wright:      50–60%      60–70%      No votes
Mayor before election Brandon Scott Democratic Elected Mayor Brandon Scott Democratic

Incumbent Brandon Scott was first elected in 2020 with 70.5% of the vote and is running for re-election to a second term.^[2] Scott was considered vulnerable, as polls found that Baltimore residents were split on his performance as mayor.^[3] He faced criticism for his handling of important issues in the city, including schools, constituent services, and crime.^[4] However, Scott's response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, as well as his progress in growing the economy and reducing homicides, allowed him to make inroads with voters and boost his approval rating.^[5][6]

Scott defeated former mayor Sheila Dixon in the Democratic primary, a result that is considered tantamount to victory in the heavily Democratic city.^[7] His path to victory involved running up massive margins in Baltimore's majority-white precincts while running close to Dixon in its majority-Black areas.^[8] Scott defeated Republican challenger Shannon Wright in the general election on November 5, 2024, becoming the first mayor to win re-election to a second term since Martin O'Malley.^[9]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Brandon Scott, incumbent mayor (2020–present)^[2]

Eliminated in primary

• Wayne Baker^[10]
• Texas Brown, hospitality manager^[11]
• Wendy Bozel, teacher^[12]
• Sheila Dixon, former mayor (2007–2010) and candidate in 2016 and 2020^[13]
• Kevin Harris, University of Maryland, Baltimore County faculty^[11]
• Wendell Hill-Freeman, marketing executive^[10]
• Yolanda Pulley, activist and candidate for mayor in 2020^[14]
• Joseph E. Scott^[11][a]
• Keith B. Scott, candidate for mayor in 2020^[10][a]
• Robert Wallace, businessman and independent candidate for mayor in 2020^[15]
• Yasaun Young, candidate for mayor in 2020^[11]

Withdrawn

• Thiruvendran Vignarajah, former Maryland deputy attorney general and candidate for mayor in 2020 (endorsed Dixon, remained on ballot)^[16]

Declined

• Zeke Cohen, city councilor from the 1st district (2016–present)^[17] (ran for city council president)^[18]
• Eric Costello, city councilor from the 11th district (2014–present) (ran for re-election, endorsed Dixon)^[19][20]
• Bill Henry, Baltimore City Comptroller (2020–present) (ran for re-election)^[21]
• Nick Mosby, president of the Baltimore City Council (2020–present) and former state delegate from the 40th district (2017–2020) (ran for re-election)^[22]

Endorsements

Wendy Bozel

Organizations

• Maryland Forward Party^[23]

Sheila Dixon

U.S. senators

• Barbara Mikulski, Maryland (1987–2017)^[24]

State legislators

• Jill P. Carter, state senator from the 41st district (2018–present)^[25]
• Samuel I. Rosenberg, state delegate from the 41st district (1983–present)^[26]

Local officials

• Ivan Bates, Baltimore State's Attorney (2023–present)^[27]
• Sam Cogen, Baltimore Sheriff (2023–present)^[28]
• Eric Costello, city councilor from the 11th district (2014–present)^[20]

Individuals

• David D. Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group and co-owner of The Baltimore Sun (Republican)^[29]
• Thiruvendran Vignarajah, former Maryland deputy attorney general and candidate for mayor in 2020 and 2024^[16]

Labor unions

• International Longshoremen's Association Local 333^[30]

Brandon Scott

U.S. senators

• Ben Cardin, Maryland (2007–present)^[31]
• Chris Van Hollen, Maryland (2017–present)^[31]

Statewide elected officials

• Anthony Brown, Maryland Attorney General (2023–present)^[32]

State legislators

• Jackie Addison, state delegate from the 45th district (2023–present)^[33]
• Marlon Amprey, state delegate from the 40th district (2021–present)^[33]
• Nick Charles, state senator from the 25th district (2023–present)^[33]
• Mark Edelson, state delegate from the 46th district (2023–present)^[34]
• Arthur Ellis, state senator from the 28th district (2019–present)^[33]
• Jazz Lewis, state delegate from the 24th district (2017–present)^[33]
• Robbyn Lewis, state delegate from the 46th district (2017–present)^[33]
• Cory McCray, state senator from the 45th district (2019–present)^[2]
• Alonzo T. Washington, state senator from the 22nd district (2023–present)^[33]
• Nicole A. Williams, state delegate from the 22nd district (2019–present)^[33]
• Caylin Young, state delegate from the 45th district (2023–present)^[2]

County officials

• Calvin Ball III, Howard County Executive (2018–present)^[33]
• Jessica Fitzwater, Frederick County Executive (2022–present)^[33]
• Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Executive (2018–present)^[33]
• Johnny Olszewski, Baltimore County Executive (2018–present)^[33]
• Steuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive (2019–present)^[2]

Local officials

• John Bulllock, city councilor from the 9th district (2016–present)^[35]
• Kristerfer Burnett, city councilor from the 8th district (2016–present)^[2]
• Ryan Dorsey, city councilor from the 3rd district (2016–present)^[2]
• Danielle McCray, city councilor from the 3rd district (2019–present)^[2]
• Sharon Green Middleton, vice president of the Baltimore City Council (2016–present) from the 6th district (2007–present)^[35]
• Phyilicia Porter, city councilor from the 10th district (2020–present)^[35]
• James Torrence, city councilor from the 7th district (2020–present)^[2]

Individuals

• Ben Jealous, executive director of Sierra Club, former president and CEO of the NAACP, and nominee for governor of Maryland in 2018^[33]

Organizations

• Bikemore^[36]
• Maryland Sierra Club^[37]
• People for the American Way^[38]

Labor unions

• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3^[39]
• International Association of Fire Fighters Locals 734 and 964^[40]
• Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO^[41]
• Service Employees International Union Locals 1199, 32BJ, and 500^[42]
• United Auto Workers^[43]

Newspapers

• Baltimore Afro-American^[44]

Declined to endorse

Statewide elected officials

• Wes Moore, governor of Maryland (2023–present)^[45]

Debates and forums

2024 Baltimore mayoral election Democratic primary debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Participants
P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Non-invitee   I  Invitee
					Sheila Dixon	Brandon Scott	Thiru Vignarajah	Bob Wallace	Others
1[46]	February 28, 2024	"More than two dozen environmental groups"	Tom Hall Lisa Snowden	N/A	P	A	P	P	P[b]
2[47]	March 4, 2024	North Baltimore neighborhood associations	Karsonya Wise Whitehead	YouTube	P	P	P	P	–
3[48]	April 11, 2024	Bikemore The Real News Network	Jaisal Noor	YouTube	P	P	P	P	–
4[49]	April 13, 2024	North Baltimore neighborhood associations	Claudia Wilson	N/A	P	P	P	P	–
5[50]	April 17, 2024	WBAL-TV	Jason Newton	Website	P	P	P	P	–
6[51]	April 30, 2024	The Baltimore Banner WYPR	Emily Sullivan Tom Hall Denise Koch	YouTube	P	P	P	P	–
7[52]	May 7, 2024	Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development	Kevin Daniels Melissa Zieve Andrew Connors	Facebook	P	P	W	N	–

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of April 26, 2024
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Sheila Dixon (D)	$916,517	$811,374	$110,082
Kevin Harris (D)	<$1,000	<$1,000	N/A
Wendell Hill-Freeman (D)	<$1,000	<$1,000	N/A
Yolanda Pulley (D)	<$1,000	<$1,000	N/A
Brandon Scott (D)	$1,262,407	$1,244,937	$449,952
Robert Wallace (D)	$529,207[c]	$131,323	$415,233
Thiru Vignarajah (D)[d]	$718,013[e]	$195,787	$522,226
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections[53]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[f]	Margin of error	Sheila Dixon	Brandon Scott	Thiru Vignarajah	Bob Wallace	Other	Undecided
OpinionWorks[54][A]	April 7–11, 2024	508 (LV)	± 4.3%	35%	38%	10%	4%	5%[g]	7%
Goucher College[55]	April 3–7, 2024	440 (RV)	± 4.7%	32%	40%	11%	3%	3%[h]	10%
Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group[56][B]	February 24–26, 2024	400 (LV)	± 5%	40%	37%	10%	6%	–	8%
Lake Research Partners[57]	October 16–22, 2023	800 (LV)	± 3.5%	39%	31%	–	10%	–	15%
Goucher College[58]	September 19–23, 2023	537 (RV)	± 4.2%	39%	27%	–	–	23%[i]	8%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[f]	Margin of error	Eric Costello	Sheila Dixon	Bill Henry	Jayne Miller	Brandon Scott	Thiru Vignarajah	Undecided
Lake Research Partners[59][C]	Late March 2023	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	3%	18%	6%	7%	21%	11%	34%

Hypothetical polling

Results

Results by precinct

  Scott

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%

  Dixon

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

  Tie 40–50%

  No data

Results by city council district

Democratic primary results^[60]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brandon Scott (incumbent)	48,806	52.8%
	Democratic	Sheila Dixon	35,947	38.9%
	Democratic	Thiruvendran Vignarajah (withdrawn)	3,379	3.7%
	Democratic	Robert Wallace	2,823	3.1%
	Democratic	Wendy Bozel	338	0.4%
	Democratic	Kevin Harris	248	0.3%
	Democratic	Wayne Baker	210	0.2%
	Democratic	Yolanda Pulley	238	0.3%
	Democratic	Joseph E. Scott	115	0.1%
	Democratic	Keith B. Scott	108	0.1%
	Democratic	Wendell Hill-Freeman	98	0.1%
	Democratic	Yasaun Young	92	0.1%
	Democratic	Texas Brown	60	0.1%
Total votes			92,462	100%

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Shannon Wright, nonprofit executive and nominee for mayor in 2020^[11]

Eliminated in primary

• Michael Moore, activist^[11]
• Donald Scoggins, urban planner and perennial candidate^[11]

Endorsements

Shannon Wright

Statewide elected officials

• Bob Ehrlich, former governor of Maryland (2003–2007)^[61]
• Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee chairman (2009–2011) and former lieutenant governor of Maryland (2003–2007)^[61]

Debates and forums

Scoggins, Moore, and Wright attended the candidate forum sponsored by over two dozen environmental groups on February 28, 2024.^[46]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of April 2, 2024
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Michael Moore (R)	<$1,000	<$1,000	N/A
Donald Scoggins (R)	$410	$0	$410
Shannon Wright (R)	<$1,000	<$1,000	N/A
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections[53]

Results

Results by precinct

  Wright

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%
•   >90%

  Moore

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   >90%

  Scoggins

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   >90%

  Tie

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50%

  No data/no votes

Republican primary results^[60]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Shannon Wright	1,468	39.8%
	Republican	Michael Moore	1,331	36.1%
	Republican	Donald Scoggins	887	24.1%
Total votes			3,686	100%

Third-party candidates

Candidates

Failed to qualify

• Timothy Sewell (Independent)^[11]

Withdrawn

• Chukwuemeka Egwu (Independent)^[11]

Debates and forums

Egwu attended the candidate forum sponsored by over two dozen environmental groups on February 28, 2024.^[46]

General election

Results

2024 Baltimore mayoral election^[62]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Brandon Scott (incumbent)	179,732	82.15%	+11.66%
	Republican	Shannon Wright	36,484	16.68%	+9.55%
	Write-in		2,574	1.18%	+0.75%
Total votes			218,790	100.00%

Notes

1. Unrelated to Brandon Scott
2. Wendy Bozel, Kevin Harris, Wendell Hill-Freeman, Yolanda Pulley, and Keith Scott
3. $352,685 of this total was self-funded by Wallace.
4. Withdrawn candidate
5. $600,826 of this total was funded by the taxpayer-funded Baltimore City Fair Election Fund.
6. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
7. Wendy Bozel, Kevin Harris, Joseph Scott, Texas Brown, and "Someone else" with 1%
8. "Some other candidate" with 2%, "Refused" with 1%
9. "Some other candidate" with 23%. 33% of those voters lean Dixon, 36% lean Scott, and 21% reported no lean or said they wouldn't for either

Partisan clients

1. This poll was sponsored by The Baltimore Sun and WBFF
2. Poll sponsored by Sheila Dixon
3. Poll was sponsored by Bill Henry

References

1. "Unofficial 2024 Presidential General Election turnout" (PDF). Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
2. Sullivan, Emily (November 18, 2023). "Scott launches campaign for 2nd term, saying Baltimore can't return to a corrupted leader". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
3. Sullivan, Emily (August 4, 2023). "Fundraising firm launches super PAC to support potential Sheila Dixon mayor run". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
4. Sullivan, Emily (October 3, 2023). "Poll: Mayor Scott faces tough road to reelection as disapproval ticks up". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
5. Miller, Hallie (April 11, 2024). "Poll: Support surging for Scott in striking turnaround before primary". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
6. Nocera, Jess; Fenton, Justin (April 11, 2024). "How city voters view elected leaders' responses to the Key Bridge collapse". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
7. Skene, Lea (May 14, 2024). "Incumbent Brandon Scott prevails in Baltimore mayor's race primary". AP News. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
8. Archibald, Ramsey; Morton, Greg (May 16, 2024). "Banner analysis: Margin in white neighborhoods powered Scott to victory". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
9. Opilo, Emily (November 5, 2024). "Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott sails to victory and rare second term". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
10. Sullivan, Emily (December 22, 2023). "Thiru Vignarajah gears up for another run for Baltimore mayor". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
11. "2024 Candidate Listing". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
12. Simpson, Amy (August 3, 2023). "Baltimore's problem with youth violence prompts woman to launch campaign for Mayor". WBFF. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
13. Opilo, Emily (September 7, 2023). "Former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon to run again in 2024, apologizes again for crimes that forced her from office". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
14. Harpster, Lexi (October 22, 2023). "Yolanda Pulley announces mayoral candidacy in Baltimore, pledges to prioritize people over special interests". WBFF. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
15. Opilo, Emily (October 12, 2023). "Robert Wallace is running again for Baltimore mayor, this time as a Democrat". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
16. Sullivan, Emily (May 1, 2024). "Thiru Vignarajah drops out of mayor's race, endorses Sheila Dixon". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
17. Opilo, Emily (January 19, 2023). "Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott doubles campaign war chest ahead of 2024 election". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
18. Opilo, Emily (March 19, 2023). "Baltimore Councilman Zeke Cohen enters council president race, setting up clash with incumbent Nick Mosby". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
19. Sullivan, Emily (August 9, 2023). "Councilman Eric Costello will seek reelection, rejecting a run for citywide office". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
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21. Sullivan, Emily (August 9, 2023). "Courted to run for Baltimore mayor, why Comptroller Bill Henry chose reelection". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
22. Segelbaum, Dylan; Sullivan, Emily; Wood, Pamela (April 1, 2023). "Banner political notes: It's poll season; FBI HQ in the budget; First family's first pitch; Bills are moving; The final word on Dan Cox's legal fight". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
23. "Affiliate Wendy Bozel". Maryland Forward Party. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
24. Hein, Katarina (April 28, 2024). "Barbara Mikulski endorses Sheila Dixon in Baltimore mayoral race". WBAL (AM). Retrieved April 28, 2024.
25. Frost, Mikenzie (May 2, 2024). "State Sen. Jill Carter endorses Sheila Dixon as Baltimore City mayoral primary intensifies". WBFF. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
26. Sullivan, Emily (October 18, 2023). "In Dixon-Scott rematch for Baltimore mayor, Del. Rosenberg flips his endorsement". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
27. Rodgers, Megan (April 8, 2024). "Ivan Bates announces endorsement for Sheila Dixon". WBFF. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
28. Watson, Tiffany (April 29, 2024). "Sheila Dixon endorsed by Baltimore City Sheriff Sam Cogen for mayor". WBFF-TV. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
29. Sullivan, Emily (March 7, 2024). "Pro-Dixon super PAC fueled by David Smith starts targeting Scott in ads". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
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32. Opilo, Emily (April 25, 2024). "Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown endorses Brandon Scott for Baltimore mayor". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
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34. Frost, Mikenzie (May 3, 2024). "Baltimore mayoral race intensifies: Endorsements pour in while voters weigh options". WBFF. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
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36. "Bikemore Endorses Mayor Brandon Scott" (Press release). Bikemore. May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
37. "Maryland Chapter Political Elections and Endorsements". www.sierraclub.org. Maryland Sierra Club. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
38. "People For Release Radio Ad Supporting Incumbent Mayor Brandon Scott". People For the American Way. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
39. Sullivan, Emily (March 21, 2024). "Public employee union backs Scott for mayor, Cohen for City Council president". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
40. Sullivan, Emily (March 11, 2024). "Baltimore fire unions endorse Scott in mayor's race, while rebuking Dixon". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
41. Boteler, Cody; Wood, Pamela; Sullivan, Emily; Wintrode, Brenda (February 24, 2024). "Banner political notes: Mayor debate next week; Baltimore and Senate endorsements". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
42. Fenton, Justin (April 8, 2024). "Bates endorses Dixon in mayor's race; Scott backed by Maryland's U.S. Senators". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
43. "OFFICIAL UAW ENDORSEMENTS". United Auto Workers. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
44. "The AFRO endorses Alsobrooks, Scott, Mosby and more". AFRO American Newspapers. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
45. Frost, Mikenzie (May 6, 2024). "Gov. Wes Moore refrains from endorsing in Baltimore's closely contested mayoral primary". WBFF. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
46. Mendez, Cristina (March 3, 2024). "Baltimore mayoral candidates address environmental issues at community forum". WJZ-TV. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
47. Sullivan, Emily (March 5, 2024). "At first major mayoral forum, candidates stick to established scripts". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
48. Zawodny, Daniel (April 12, 2024). "Baltimore mayoral candidates spar over bike lanes, the Red Line and bus routes". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
49. Miller, Hallie (April 13, 2024). "Sneed, Vignarajah tout campaigns' public financing model at housing forum". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
50. Sullivan, Emily (April 17, 2024). "Baltimore mayoral candidates debate crime, Harborplace in first TV debate". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
51. Boteler, Cody (April 18, 2024). "Baltimore mayoral candidates to square off in debate hosted by Baltimore Banner, WJZ-TV, WYPR". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
52. Opilo, Emily (May 7, 2024). "At BUILD forum, Baltimore mayoral candidates share ideas for fixing vacancy crisis". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
53. "View Filed Reports". campaignfinance.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
54. OpinionWorks
55. Goucher College
56. Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group
57. Lake Research Partners
58. Goucher College
59. Lake Research Partners
60. "Unofficial 2024 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
61. "Candidates for Baltimore Mayor". The Baltimore Banner. April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
62. "Unofficial 2024 Presidential General Election Results for Baltimore City". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 24, 2024.

External links

Official campaign websites for mayoral candidates

• Brandon Scott (D) for Mayor
• Shannon Wright (R) for Mayor