Former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon concedes to Brandon Scott, ending her third attempt at political comeback

Former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon conceded the race to win back her former seat Friday morning, several days after Mayor Brandon Scott claimed victory in the contest.

In a news release, Dixon officially bowed out, closing the door on the contest which was her third attempt at a political comeback since she was forced to resign the mayoral post in 2010 following an embezzlement conviction.

Dixon said she spoke with Scott Friday morning. “His success leading our city is success for all of us, so I sincerely wish him all the best,” she said.

“While this isn’t the outcome we hoped for, I’m so profoundly grateful for each and every one of the Baltimoreans 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 uncounted, Scott opened an insurmountable gap between him and Dixon Tuesday night. With votes from Election Day, early voting and some mail-in voting counted, he had almost 51% of the vote to Dixon’s 41% — a 6,300 vote difference. After a day of mail-in ballot counting Thursday, Scott’s lead expanded to almost 8,900 votes. About 3,000 mail-in ballots remain to be counted, but will not be canvassed until Monday.

Dixon told The Baltimore Sun last month that the 2024 race would be her last. She pledged Friday, however, to “never stop working to serve the city I love.”

“After some much needed rest, and some time with my family, I look forward to stepping back into the community as your lifelong partner in the work to fulfill this city’s potential,” she said.

The 2024 race was a rematch for Scott and Dixon who faced each other in 2020 amid a crowded field of Democrats. That year, Scott emerged victorious for the first time by a margin of 3,100 votes.

This time, the field was half the size of the crowded 2020 race and the upper tier of candidates shrank just before Election Day. Former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah dropped out of the race in the first week of May, less than 24 hours ahead of the start of early voting. Businessman Bob Wallace, an independent candidate for mayor in 2020, ran this time as a Democrat, but failed to gain traction. Both had 3% of votes as of Wednesday morning.

The Associated Press called the race for Scott at 11:24 p.m. Tuesday and he took the stage shortly afterward at his election party to claim victory. He thanked Dixon for her passion for Baltimore and for running a hard-fought campaign.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re destined for a second term,” Scott said.

While the total scope of turnout in the election is still being tallied as mail-in ballots are counted, Baltimore’s Election Director Armstead Jones called turnout on Election Day a “terrible mess.” About 41,500 city voters cast ballots in-person Tuesday. In 2016, before mail-in voting became popular, 104,635 city voters participated on Election Day. In 2012, when President Barack Obama ran as an incumbent but before city races were aligned with presidential ones, just 37,932 people voted in person in Baltimore on primary day.

As she has in the past, Dixon, 70, ran a campaign focused on reducing crime and improving city services, promising to return the city to better days. Known for hiring wisely and focusing on the city’s cleanliness, Dixon’s tenure from 2007 to 2010 was also marked by a reduction in homicides.

In the 2024 election, however, Dixon was pitted against Scott amid another reduction in killings. Fewer than 300 people were killed in Baltimore in 2023, the first time the figure has dipped below that number in almost a decade. Dixon pivoted, arguing Scott focused only on the homicide rate, allowing quality-of-life crimes to go unaddressed and chasing residents from the city.

Dixon secured the backing of law enforcement allies in the fight. Democratic State’s Attorney Ivan Bates endorsed the former mayor and called Scott out for what Bates said was a lack of partnership between the prosecutor’s office and Scott’s City Hall. Sheriff Sam Cogen, too, said Scott has failed to be a partner to his office. When he left the race, Vignarajah endorsed Dixon and urged his supporters to follow him.

As she has been in the past, Dixon was dogged by her own criminal record which forced her to leave office. In 2010, she was found guilty of embezzling gift cards meant for the poor. As part of an plea agreement on a perjury charge in the case, she resigned as mayor, was on probation for four years and could not seek office during that time.

Since then, Dixon has made repeated attempts at political comebacks, further encouraged by close calls. In 2016, she was defeated by then-state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh by fewer than 2,500 votes. Dixon was hesitant to admit defeat in that race, particularly after state election officials found some provisional ballots were handled improperly and eight data files went missing for about a day. She mounted an unsuccessful write-in campaign that fall.

Dixon’s spokesman Luca Amayo said Friday she has no plans to mount another write-in campaign.