On Friday morning, just days after Mayor Brandon Scott declared victory in the race, former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon conceded her race and regained her old seat.
In a news release, Dixon officially withdrew, closing the door on his third campaign to return to politics since he was forced to resign as mayor in 2010 following an embezzlement conviction.
Dixon said she spoke with Scott on Friday morning. “His success in leading our city is ours all, and we wish him all the best,” she said.
“While this is not the outcome we were hoping for, I am deeply grateful to each and every person in Baltimore who stood with me in this race,” Dixon added. “Serving as your candidate has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
With thousands of remaining mail-in ballots yet to be counted, an unbridgeable gap opened up between Mr. Scott and Mr. Dixon on Tuesday night. After counting votes from Election Day, early voting, and some mail-in ballots, he received nearly 51% of the vote and Mr. Dixon received 41%, a difference of 6,300 votes. After a day of counting Thursday’s mail-in ballots, Scott’s lead had widened to about 8,900 votes. About 3,000 mail-in ballots have yet to be counted, but the survey won’t take place until Monday.
Dixon told the Baltimore Sun last month that the 2024 race would be his last. But she vowed Friday that she “will never stop working for the city I love.”
“After some much-needed rest and time with my family, I look forward to returning to the community as your lifelong partner in our efforts to realize our city’s full potential,” she said. Told.
The 2024 race is a rematch between Scott and Dixon, who faced off in a crowded field of Democrats in 2020. Scott won his first victory that year by a margin of 3,100 votes.
This time, the race was half the size of the crowded 2020 campaign, with the top tier of candidates shrinking just before Election Day. Former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah withdrew from the race in the first week of May, less than 24 hours before early voting began. Bob Wallace, a businessman who ran as an independent candidate for mayor in 2020, ran as a Democratic candidate this time, but was unable to gather support. As of Wednesday morning, both men had 3% of the vote.
The Associated Press called Scott to run at 11:24 p.m. Tuesday, and shortly after, Scott took to the stage at a campaign party and declared victory. He thanked Mr. Dixon for his passion for Baltimore and for running a fierce campaign.
“I think it’s safe to say we’re destined for a second term,” Scott said.
Turnout totals for the election are still being tallied as mail-in ballots are counted, but Armstead Jones, Baltimore’s election director, said Election Day turnout was a “terrible mess.” About 41,500 urban voters cast their ballots in person Tuesday. In 2016, before mail-in voting became widespread, 104,635 urban voters participated on Election Day. In 2012, when President Barack Obama ran as the incumbent, only 37,932 people voted in person in Baltimore on primary day, before urban elections were unified with presidential elections.
Mr Dixon, 70, has vowed to return the city to better days with a campaign focused on reducing crime and improving city services. Known for his focus on smart hiring and city cleanliness, Mr. Dixon’s tenure from 2007 to 2010 also saw a notable drop in homicides.
But the 2024 election pitted Dixon and Scott against each other as murders declined further. Fewer than 300 people will die in Baltimore in 2023, marking the first time in nearly a decade that the number has been lower than that number. Mr. Dixon changed his position, arguing that Mr. Scott was focusing solely on murder rates, leaving quality-of-life crimes unaddressed and driving residents out of cities.
Dixon enlisted the assistance of law enforcement in this fight. Democratic State Attorney Ivan Bates supported the former mayor, criticizing Scott for what Bates said was a lack of coordination between prosecutors and Scott’s City Hall. Sheriff Sam Cogen also said Scott could not be a partner in his office. Mr Vignaraja supported Mr Dixon when he withdrew from the race and urged his supporters to follow him.
As in the past, Mr. Dixon was troubled by his criminal past and was forced to step down. In 2010, she was convicted of embezzling gift cards meant for indigent people. As part of a plea deal on perjury charges in the case, she resigned as mayor and was placed on probation for four years, during which time she could not hold public office.
Since then, Dixon has repeatedly attempted a political comeback, emboldened by close calls. He lost to then-state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh in 2016 by less than 2,500 votes. Mr. Dixon said his campaign’s 2019 campaign, especially after state election officials discovered that some provisional ballots were improperly processed and eight data files were missing for about a day. He was hesitant to admit defeat. She launched her write-in campaign that fall, but it was unsuccessful.
Mr. Dixon’s spokesman, Luca Amayo, said Friday that there are no plans to launch a new write-in campaign.
