Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is seeking reelection this year but faces a challenger in Sheila Dixon in the race for Democratic mayoral candidate.
The Goucher Poll, released on April 11 in partnership with The Baltimore Banner, surveyed 705 Baltimore City voters and asked their opinions on city officials, conditions and Baltimore’s direction.
Results revealed Scott and Dixon are the two frontrunners for the surveyed likely Democratic voters in the upcoming Democratic primary on May 14.
Scott leads with 40% of voters in his favor, but former Baltimore mayor Dixon is behind him with 32% of the votes. According to the poll, 59% of voters are set on their candidate choice. The poll’s margin of error ranges from 3.7% to 4.7%.
Dixon served as the city’s mayor from 2007 to 2010 and is running to reclaim her seat.
As Scott gears up for his reelection campaign, his job approval rating among all surveyed voters has significantly improved, jumping from 37% in an October poll to 46%.
“Brandon Scott has improved his standing with the public since our last Goucher College Poll, …His job approval and favorability ratings have both improved, as views toward the direction of the city,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College, which conducts the poll.
Sixty-four percent of surveyed voters are optimistic about Baltimore’s future. This optimism could be related to the crime reduction under Scott’s administration.
Crime remains a top concern among Baltimore City voters, with 88% identifying it as a significant issue in the upcoming mayoral election.
“While crime is still a key issue, the reduction in the murder rate has been an important accomplishment under the Scott administration,” said Kromer.
Since Scott took office in 2020, Baltimore has seen a 20% reduction in homicides, representing the city’s most significant annual drop in history, according to his campaign website. Improper arrests were also cut in half, leading to the city’s lowest homicide rate in nine years. In his reelection campaign, Scott emphasizes the crime reduction accomplishments under his administration.
Dixon emphasized the low crime levels under her administration at a news conference in January. She also outlined her crime and public safety plans, including the need to replenish the ranks of city law enforcement and pitch law enforcement as a good, stable career path for the younger generation to attract more talent to the profession, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Scott’s approach differs, focusing on non-policing methods to reduce crime. In 2021, he orchestrated Baltimore City’s $50 million donation to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), funding a public health approach to violence prevention, according to a press release from the City of Baltimore.
A majority of voters believe drug and substance abuse to be the leading cause of crime in Baltimore, with 83% voting it as a major factor in the issue. Baltimore’s 2023 drug overdose rate was 1039, up from 2022’s 939, according to data from Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response.
A candidate’s plan or ability to improve public education is also a topic many likely Democratic voters are focusing on. 87% said it’s a significant factor in deciding the candidate.
Only 12% of voters rated Baltimore City public schools with a grade of A-B, with 69% unsatisfied with the system, grading it a C-F on a grading scale. 77% of surveyed voters noted underfunded schools and a lack of educational opportunities for younger residents as significant issues facing the city.