November 8, 2016 2020 → 57.6% 22.3% 10.1% 10.0% | 128,138 49,716 22,541 22,204 | |
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The 2016 Baltimore mayoral election was held November 8, 2016 concurrent with the General Election. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the incumbent mayor, did not run for reelection. Catherine E. Pugh won the election on November 8, 2016, with 57.1% of the popular vote, and took office on December 6, 2016.
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Background and candidates
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.
On July 1, 2015, Sheila Dixon entered the 2016 mayoral race. (The terms of Dixon's probation prevented her from running for office until after December 2012.) Since her announcement, Dixon has campaigned in West Baltimore about the city's increasing transportation issues. Additional candidates include Baltimore Police Sergeant Gersham Cupid, former member of the Texas State Guard Mack Clifton, Baltimore City Councilman Carl Stokes, Harvard Business School graduate Calvin Allen Young III, public servant Elizabeth Embry and prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson.
On September 11, 2015, Rawlings-Blake announced that she would not seek re-election as mayor. She stated, "It was a very difficult decision, but I knew I needed to spend time focused on the city's future, not my own."
Democratic primary
The Democratic mayoral primary was held on April 26, 2016. 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.
Declared
Declined
Republican primary
Declared
Green Party primary
Declared
Write-in candidates
Former Mayor of Baltimore Sheila Dixon, who lost in the Democratic Primary, re-entered the race as a write-in candidate.
Dr. La Vern AW. Murray Th. Ed., Unaffiliated write-in candidate