The 2016 mayoral race in Baltimore was at first shaping to be a contest between Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and her predecessor, Sheila Dixon. Since then, we’ve seen two 27-year-olds jump in. This week, a pair of local leaders in their 30s are considering jumping in, which could further uproot the race for the city’s top office.
Best-selling author and social entrepreneur Wes Moore has long been talked about as a potential mayoral candidate. He has publicly said he was humbled, but focused on his other ventures. But recently he has been preparing for a campaign, two sources tell us. Before returning to his native Baltimore and founding BridgeEdU, the 37-year-old Moore led a team of U.S. Army paratroopers in Afghanistan, served as a White House fellow and worked at Citigroup. You can read more about his thoughts in our recent Big Fish Q&A. A representative did not return a request for comment.
City Councilman Nick Mosby has also been sending signals. The West Baltimore Democrat and wife of State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been rumored as a candidate, and confirmed to the Baltimore Sun over the weekend that he is “seriously considering” a run. He certainly sounded like a candidate, telling the Sun’s Luke Broadwater that he has the “managerial skills and experience” to “lead the city.” Like his wife, Nick Mosby was vaulted into the national spotlight after the week of protests and rioting that followed Freddie Gray’s funeral. His moment came during an interview on Fox News when he took a reporter to task for focusing on looting instead of the structural issues in West Baltimore.
There are still plenty of rumored runs out there, so don’t expect the potential candidates to stop popping up anytime soon.
Full disclosure, I don’t know much about his politics, but I do worry that Nick Mosby might be “more of the same,” and Baltimore city government is already rife with cronyism. On the other hand, Wes Moore is a totally different candidate to my mind — I think he is a legitimate choice, who is outside the corruption, but inside the realities of Baltimore — a really bright young man, who, while he can walk the walk and talk the talk, is sensitive and cares about the future of Baltimore city’s youth. It gives me great hope that he might consider getting in the mix!