Posted on 05/20/20
| News Source: WBAL
A new poll found that the most popular candidates in Baltimore City's mayoral race to be former Mayor Sheila Dixon, former T. Rowe Price executive Mary Miller and current City Council President Brandon Scott, according to a poll conducted by The Baltimore Sun, WYPR-FM and the University of Baltimore.
The poll found that Dixon and Miller tied at 18% support among possible primary voters surveyed with Scott following closely behind at 15% support.
“It’s definitely a three-way race,” Steve Raabe, president of OpinionWorks, the Annapolis-based firm that conducted the poll, told the Sun. “Sheila Dixon and Mary Miller are literally tied. Brandon Scott is right behind, but he’s a leading second choice. The three of them are really competitive.”
The poll, released on Wednesday, surveyed 400 likely Democratic primary voters in Baltimore from May 11-18, according to the Sun. Overall, there was a margin of error of 4.9%.
Results showed former state Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah with 11% support, former Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith with 6%, and current Baltimore City Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young with 5%.
Of those surveyed, 60% said stopping violent crime should be the priority of the next mayor, 10% said the priority should be protecting the public from the coronavirus and 6% said the next mayor's urgent concern should be economic growth, the Sun reports.
The race is currently divided among racial lines. Dixon holds the support of 26% of black voters and 3% of white voters, while Miller has 31% of white voters and 11% of black voters, the poll shows.
Scott appeals to both sides with support from 17% white voters and 16% black voters.
The poll finds Scott is the leading choice among younger voters in both the under-35 and under-50 age groups.
Overall, the majority of voters surveyed were unsatisfied with the current state of Baltimore City, with two-thirds believing it to be on the wrong path, the Sun said.
Most of Young's support came from the small amount of voters who believed the city is on the right path, according to the poll.
The primary election is set for June 2 with many residents voting by mail with the current restrictions in place. Read more at WBAL