Incumbent Mayor
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake did not seek re-election in 2016. She completed former Mayor Dixon's term, and won the mayoral seat in the
2011 mayoral race. After holding the office for five years, she faced challenges and criticism during her tenure. Notable events include the
2015 Freddie Gray Protests,
Governor Hogan's rejection of the
Baltimore Red Line, and an increase in crime since the Freddie Gray Protests in April 2015.[4]
On July 1, 2015,
Sheila Dixon entered the 2016 mayoral race.[5] (The terms of Dixon's probation prevented her from running for office until after December 2012.) Since her announcement, Dixon had campaigned in West Baltimore about the city's increasing transportation issues.[6] Additional candidates included
Baltimore City Council members
Nick Mosby[7] and
Carl Stokes,[8] Baltimore Police Sergeant Gersham Cupid, writer Mack Clifton,[9] engineer Calvin Young,[10]Baltimore Sunop-ed contributor Connor Meek,[11] attorney and
public servant Elizabeth Embry,[12] and
Black Lives Matter activist
DeRay Mckesson.[13]
On September 11, 2015, Rawlings-Blake announced that she would not seek re-election as mayor, stating, "It was a very difficult decision, but I knew I needed to spend time focused on the city's future, not my own".[14]
Democratic primary
The Democratic mayoral primary was held on April 26, 2016.[15]Catherine Pugh won the Democratic primary running against former Mayor
Sheila Dixon and 11 other challengers in a crowded field to replace Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.[16]
Former Mayor of Baltimore
Sheila Dixon, who lost in the Democratic primary, re-entered the race as a
write-in candidate and came in second to Pugh with 22% of the popular vote.[24] Democratic candidate Mack Clifton, who also lost in the primaries, re-entered as a write-in candidate. In addition, Republican Steven H. Smith, Independent Frank Logan, and unaffiliated candidates Sarah Klauda and Lavern Murray, who did not run in the primaries, joined the race as write-in candidates.[25]