One year after the uprising in Baltimore sparked by Freddie Gray’s death in police custody, the citizens of Baltimore chose the woman who is likely to become their new mayor, reports The Baltimore Sun.
State Sen. Catherine E. Pugh (37 percent) edged out former Mayor Sheila Dixon (34 percent) in the Democratic primary. They were the top two finishers in a large field of contenders, which included nationally prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, who finished with 2 percent of the vote, just behind City Councilman Carl Stokes’ 3 percent.
According to The Baltimore Sun:
Pugh, who had twice been a runner-up in citywide races, raised her profile during the unrest that engulfed Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. She spent days and nights at the corner of Pennsylvania and North avenues, where looting and arson broke out, trying to calm the tensions between protesters and police.
"Nobody gave this campaign a chance," Pugh said to a cheering crowd at the Harbor Hotel in downtown Baltimore. "We couldn't even get a campaign manager until February 1."
While Pugh is only the winner of the Democratic primary, she is likely to have an easy road to city hall against Republican nominee Alan Walden, given Baltimore’s 10-1 ratio of Democrats to Republicans.
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