2020_Baltimore_mayoral_election
2020 Baltimore mayoral election
Election in Baltimore, Maryland, US
The 2020 Baltimore mayoral election was held on November 3, 2020, concurrent with the general election. Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott, the Democratic Party nominee, won a sizable victory over independent candidate Bob Wallace, Republican Party nominee Shannon Wright, and Working Class Party nominee David Harding.
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| Turnout | 60.88%  [quantify] pp[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 Precinct results Scott: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% No votes | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The incumbent acting mayor Jack Young, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Party nomination, had become mayor following the resignation of Catherine Pugh. Pugh's resignation had come after she was embroiled in a scandal.
Scott won the Democratic nomination in a crowded primary election that had 24 candidates listed on the ballot. Six of these candidates received in excess of 5 percent of the vote. With 29.6% of the vote, Scott's margin-of-victory over former mayor Sheila Dixon's second-place finish was 2.1%. The acting incumbent, Young, placed a weak fifth, with 6.2% of the vote. In addition to Scott, Dixon, and Young, the primary included the candidacies of businesswoman and former United States Department of the Treasury executive Mary J. Miller; former Maryland Deputy Attorney General Thiruvendran Vignarajah; and former county and police department press secretary/spokesperson T.J. Smith. State Senator Mary L. Washington also ran and was listed on the ballot, but had suspended her campaign before the election. In the Republican primary, Shannon Wright defeated six other candidates. The Democratic primary had 148,405 votes cast, while the Republican primary only had 5,608 votes.
The primary elections were originally scheduled to be held on April 28, 2020, with early voting running from April 16 to 23.[2] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced on March 17, 2020 that the primary election would be postponed to June 2.[3]
Incumbent Mayor Jack Young, took office by default on May 2, 2019 following the resignation of Mayor Catherine Pugh.[4] In October 2019, Young announced that he would seek election to remain mayor in 2020.[5]
Notable events since the 2016 election include an escalation of crime following the death of Freddie Gray in April 2015, the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials in 2017, the 2018 rebranding and launch of the BaltimoreLink bus system following Governor Larry Hogan's cancellation of the Red Line, and the Healthy Holly scandal which resulted in Mayor Pugh's resignation in 2019.
After the first campaign finance reporting date in mid January 2019, Bernard C. "Jack" Young had $960,000 cash on hand, Thiru Vignarajah reported having about $840,000, Brandon Scott had nearly $430,000, Rikki Vaughn $218,000 cash on-hand, Mary Washington had more than $116,000, Sheila Dixon had nearly $89,000, Carlmichael "Stokey" Cannady had nearly $36,000, and T.J. Smith had about $22,000.[6]
Declared candidates
- Yasaun Young (No affiliation or relation to Jack Young)[7]
- Carlmichael "Stokey" Cannady, anti-violence activist and mediator[8][7]
- Lou Catelli (a.k.a. Will Bauer), unofficial "Mayor of Hampden"[9][7]
- Valerie L. Cunningham[7]
- Sheila Dixon, former Mayor of Baltimore and 2016 mayoral candidate[10]
- Liri Fusha[7]
- Sean B. Gresh, author, professor of communications, former IBM Global Smart Cities communications lead[11]
- Michael Douglas Jensen, private citizen[7]
- Ralph E. Johnson Jr., author[12][7]
- James Hugh Jones, II,[13][7] 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate[14]
- Terry Jay McCready[7]
- Mary J. Miller, former T. Rowe Price executive and former Acting Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury[15]
- Erik Powery[7]
- Yolanda Pulley, property manager and tenant activist[16][7]
- Brian J Salsberry[7]
- Brandon M. Scott, Baltimore City Council President[17]
- Keith B. Scott[7]
- T.J. Smith, former press secretary to the Baltimore County Executive and former Baltimore City Police spokesperson[18]
- Dante Swinton, environmental justice researcher & community organizer[19][7]
- Rikki Vaughn, MBA, 2016 U.S. Senate candidate and multi-restaurant businessman[7]
- Thiruvendran "Thiru" Vignarajah, former Maryland Deputy Attorney General[20]
- Robert Wallace, Independent candidate and businessman[21]
- Frederick Ware-Newsome, perennial candidate[13][7]
- Bernard C. "Jack" Young, incumbent acting mayor of Baltimore[5]
Withdrawn candidates
- Lynn Sherwood Harris, former President of the Sandtown-Winchester Improvement Association — withdrew candidacy on September 23, 2019[7]
- Mary Washington, Maryland State Senator for District 43 — suspended campaign on March 16, 2020[22][7]
Declined to be candidates
- Jill P. Carter, Maryland State Senator for District 41 and 2007 mayoral candidate[23]
- Bill Ferguson, President of the Maryland Senate[24]
- Ben Jealous, Former Director of the NAACP and 2018 Maryland gubernatorial candidate[25]
- Nick Mosby, Maryland State Delegate for District 40[26]
Polling
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sheila Dixon |
Brandon Scott |
Thiru Vignarajah |
Jack Young |
T.J. Smith |
Mary Miller |
Mary Washington |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzales Research | May 14, 2019 | 23% | – | 16% | 19% | – | – | – | 24% |
| Baltimore Fox 45 | January 14, 2020 | 15.7% | 17.9% | 18.2% | 15% | 11% | – | – | 12.2% |
| GQR Research/Sheila Dixon[upper-alpha 1] | February 6–10, 2020 | 20% | 16% | 11% | 11% | 13% | 2% | 9% | 17% |
| Fox Gonzales | February 26, 2020 | 17% | 11% | 15% | 9% | 15% | – | – | – |
| WYPR, Baltimore Sun | March 4, 2020 | 16% | 10% | 10% | 6% | 9% | 7% | – | 31% |
| WYPR, U of Baltimore Baltimore Sun | May 11–18, 2020 | 18% | 15% | 11% | 5% | 6% | 18% | – | 22% |
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy | March 24, 2020 | 18% | 15% | 12% | 7% | 22% | 9% | – | 15% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brandon Scott | 43,927 | 29.6 | |
| Democratic | Sheila Dixon | 40,782 | 27.5 | |
| Democratic | Mary Miller | 23,193 | 15.6 | |
| Democratic | Thiru Vignarajah | 17,080 | 11.5 | |
| Democratic | Bernard C. "Jack" Young (incumbent) | 9,256 | 6.2 | |
| Democratic | T. J. Smith | 8,593 | 5.8 | |
| Democratic | Carlmichael Cannady | 2,473 | 1.7 | |
| Democratic | Mary Washington | 1,028 | 0.7 | |
| Democratic | Valerie Cunningham | 339 | 0.2 | |
| Democratic | Keith Scott | 303 | 0.2 | |
| Democratic | Yasaun Young | 188 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Ralph Johnson, Jr. | 177 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Yolanda Pulley | 152 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Lou Catelli | 151 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Dante Swinton | 143 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Michael Jenson | 131 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Brian Salsberry | 129 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Rikki Vaughn | 116 | 0.1 | |
| Democratic | Liri Fusha | 57 | 0.0 | |
| Democratic | Terry McCready | 46 | 0.0 | |
| Democratic | Sean Gresh | 45 | 0.0 | |
| Democratic | James Jones II | 33 | 0.0 | |
| Democratic | Erik Powery | 32 | 0.0 | |
| Democratic | Frederick Ware-Newsome | 31 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 148,405 | 100.00 | ||
Declared candidates
- Zulieka A. Baysmore[7]
- Catalina Byrd, political strategist and member of Baltimore's Women's Commission and Community Oversight Task Force[28][7]
- Ivan Gonzalez[7]
- William G. Herd, private citizen[28][7]
- Collins Otonna,[7] 2016 independent candidate for mayor[29][30]
- David Anthony Wiggins, Ranking Member, 2nd Councilmanic District, Baltimore City Republican Central Committee, Co-Founder Temple Afrika, Inc, President, Baltimore Black Think Tank Incorporated[7]
- Shannon Wright, nonprofit executive and former pastor, nominee for Baltimore City Council President in 2016[28][7]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Shannon Wright | 1,630 | 29.1% | |
| Republican | Catalina Byrd | 1,068 | 19.0% | |
| Republican | William Herd | 757 | 13.5% | |
| Republican | David Anthony Wiggins | 729 | 13.0% | |
| Republican | Ivan Gonzalez | 671 | 12.0% | |
| Republican | Zulieka Baysmore | 641 | 11.4% | |
| Republican | Collins Otonna | 112 | 2.0% | |
| Total votes | 5,608 | 100% | ||
Declared candidate
- Kahan Singh Dhillon, Jr. filed his candidacy but failed to submit the required number of signatures and does not appear on the general election ballot.[31]
- Robert Wallace, Independent candidate and businessman[21]
- David Harding, Working Class Party[31]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Brandon Scott (D) |
Shannon Wright (R) |
Robert Wallace (I) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSG/Brandon Scott[upper-alpha 2] | September 4–6, 2020 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 65% | 6% | 14% | 16%[lower-alpha 2] |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brandon Scott | 164,661 | 70.49 | |
| Independent | Bob Wallace | 47,275 | 20.24 | |
| Republican | Shannon Wright | 16,664 | 7.13 | |
| Working Class | David Harding | 3,973 | 1.70 | |
| Write-in | 1,007 | 0.43 | ||
| Total votes | 233,580 | 100 | ||
- Partisan clients
- "Baltimore City Board of Elections 2020 Election Dates". December 8, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- Dickstein, Ryan (March 17, 2020). "Hogan postpones primary election, announces more sweeping action against COVID-19". WMAR-TV. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Duncan, Ian (May 2, 2019). "Now officially Baltimore mayor, Jack Young inherits city's problems — particularly violent crime". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- Broadwater, Luke (October 22, 2019). "Young says he's running in 2020 to remain Baltimore mayor, believes city is 'on the cusp of a renaissance'". The Baltimore Sun.
- Opilo, Emily; Richman, Talia (January 16, 2020). "Baltimore mayoral candidates raise $2.3M, signaling expensive and bitter fight ahead for crowded field". the Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- "Baltimore City 2020 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List". elections.maryland.gov. May 30, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- Reed, Lillian (July 16, 2019). "Carlmichael 'Stokey' Cannady announces run for Baltimore mayor". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- Schuh, Mike (April 29, 2019). "Hampden's Unofficial 'Mayor' Lou Catelli Files For Baltimore City Mayor". WJZ-TV. Baltimore, Maryland. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- Young, Blair (December 15, 2019). "Sheila Dixon enters Baltimore mayoral race". WBAL-TV. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- "One Baltimore Mayor | Sean Gresh 2020 | Democratic Candidate for Mayor of One Baltimore City". onebaltimoremayor.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- "RALPH E. JOHNSON JR. FOR MAYOR OF BALTIMORE CITY". 79500.campaignpartner.net. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- "Tenth Candidate To Announce Run For Baltimore Mayor". WJZ-TV. August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- "James Hugh Jones II". Baltimore Sun Election Guide 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- Richman, Luke Broadwater, Talia (January 7, 2020). "Former T. Rowe Price exec Mary Miller enters Baltimore mayor's race, citing 'crying need for management' in city". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Pulley, Yolanda [@Yoshie_pulley] (April 2, 2019). "Vote Yolanda Pulley for Mayor 2020. P.O.P" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via Twitter.
- Broadwater, Luke (September 13, 2019). "City Council President Brandon Scott enters race for Baltimore mayor, heating up 2020 contest". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- Rector, Kevin (October 29, 2019). "Former police spokesman T.J. Smith promises change as Baltimore mayor that he says establishment can't deliver". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- "Who might run for Baltimore mayor in 2020". The Baltimore Sun. April 2, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
- Rodricks, Dan (April 10, 2019). "Rodricks: Vignarajah comes into the 2020 mayor's race wisely focused on crime and corruption". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- Barker, Jeff (May 20, 2020). "Businessman Bob Wallace wants to shake up Baltimore mayor's race with independent run". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- Richman, Talia (March 16, 2020). "State Sen. Mary Washington suspends campaign for Baltimore mayor to focus on coronavirus". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- Carter, Jill P. [@jillpcarter] (October 29, 2019). "Today, I'm announcing my Exploratory Committee to continue the civil rights legacy of Maryland's 7th Congressional District. I'll be talking to my potential constituents about the issues. Reach out via DM if you'd like to support. Thank you! #CarterForCongress" (Tweet). Retrieved October 29, 2019 – via Twitter.
- Wood, Pamela; Broadwater, Luke (October 24, 2019). "Miller says he'll step down as Maryland Senate president, Democrats pick Baltimore's Bill Ferguson to replace him". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- "Ben Jealous might seek Maryland governor's office again, rules out run for Baltimore mayor". The Baltimore Sun. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- Broadwater, Luke (October 3, 2019). "Del. Nick Mosby says he's 'seriously' considering run for Baltimore City Council president". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- "Official 2020 Presidential Primary Election results for Baltimore City". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- Broadwater, Luke (August 27, 2019). "History is largely against them, but some Republicans are running to be mayor of Baltimore". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- "Baltimore City 2016 Presidential General Election Local Candidates List". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland Board of Elections. November 21, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- "Collins Otonna". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- "Baltimore City 2020 Presidential General Election Local Candidates List". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- "Presidential General Election Baltimore City, Maryland November 3, 2020 OFFICIAL RESULTS" (PDF). Baltimore City Board of Elections. 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- Official campaign websites for mayoral candidates