Baltimore mayoral election, 2007

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The next Baltimore mayoral election will take place on November 6, 2007. Because Baltimore politics are dominated by the Democratic Party, in all likelihood the Democratic primary, to be held on September 11, 2007, will be the most competitive contest in this race and will determine the city's next mayor.

Martin O'Malley, the winner of the previous election, was elected governor of Maryland in 2006, leaving city council president Sheila Dixon to serve out the final year of his term. Dixon has declared that she intends to run for election to a full term in 2007. Joan Pratt, the city's elected comptroller, has also declared her intention to run, and a host of other Baltimore political figures are reportedly seriously considering entering the race. Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. is also considered a strong candidate, and has declared his intention to run.[1]

Kweisi Mfume, former Congressman and president of the NAACP, who was defeated in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2006, is perhaps the highest-profile subject of such speculation, though Mfume himself has not publicly stated that he is interested in a run [2]. In November 2006, Mfume told the Baltimore Sun, "It is a little premature. I don't want to create that drum beat when there's nothing really there," and in an interview with a Baltimore-area radio station, said "I don't have any plans to run for mayor. [Dixon]'s worked for and deserves an opportunity to lead. ... I want her to succeed. I want the city to be united. I think at this point we owe her at least the opportunity to try to lead it."[3]

The issues that will determine the election are not yet clear. Dixon will have the advantage of incumbency, and at the end of 2006 had a large fundraising lead over many of her competitors; however, a state prosecutor is currently investigating her office over perceived ethical lapses in the awarding of city contracts, and that could hurt her campaign. [4]After a thorough investigation, the Baltimore Board of Ethics unanimously concluded that the ethics allegations leveled against Mayor Dixon had no merit.