Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown endorses Brandon Scott for Baltimore mayor

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown endorsed Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in the race for mayor Thursday, becoming the latest public official to endorse in the contest with less than three weeks remaining until the primary.

During an event at Everyman Theatre, Brown credited Scott and his violence prevention efforts, particularly the Group Violence Reduction Strategy, or GVRS, for the reduction the city saw in homicides in 2023. GVRS aims to intercept individuals deemed most vulnerable to becoming shooters or victims and offer them services to avoid becoming involved in crime.

“With him, we get what we expect in our elected officials: honesty, candor, commitment and a real passion for his city, our city,” Brown said of Scott. Brown is a Prince George’s County resident, according to voter registration records.

Scott, the city’s mayor since 2020, is seeking reelection and trying to fend off challenges from former Mayor Sheila Dixon, former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah and businessman Bob Wallace. All are Democrats. The Democratic primary on May 14 is likely to determine the outcome of the race in deeply blue Baltimore.

A recent poll for The Baltimore Sun, University of Baltimore and FOX45 showed Scott and Dixon locked in a close contest with 38% of likely voters saying they supported the incumbent mayor and 35% saying they favored Dixon.

2024 voter guide: Candidates for Baltimore mayor

Brown joins a short but growing list of law enforcement officials who have chosen sides in the close mayoral race. Earlier this month, Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates endorsed Dixon shortly after going public with what he called a growing “rift” between him and Scott. Bates said Scott has not been a “partner” on his implementation of a citation docket meant to prosecute low-level crimes.

Brown and Scott repeatedly referred to one another as partners Thursday.

“I could not be more grateful to have the attorney general’s support, not just here today for the campaign, but in that work each and every day,” Scott said. “It’s because of those partnerships that we’ve been able to have a historic reduction of 20% last year in homicides in Baltimore City.”

“Thank you for you leadership, for your partnership, and your friendship,” Brown said.

Brown, who was elected in 2022, is Maryland’s first Black attorney general. Prior to that, he was a U.S. House member representing Maryland’s 4th Congressional District. Brown served as lieutenant governor from 2007 to 2014 under Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley. He ran a failed campaign for governor in 2014, losing to Republican Larry Hogan.

Brown also recently endorsed U.S. Rep. David Trone in his bid for U.S. Senate. Brown said Thursday he could not rule out making further endorsements, but said he declined requests to endorse in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District currently occupied by Rep. John Sarbanes.

Scott has previously collected endorsements from U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and several unions, including the two locals representing the city’s firefighters and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.