2024 Primary Election Night Speech

The following is the text of the speech, as prepared, delivered by Mayor Brandon M. Scott on the 2024 Democratic Primary Election Night:

Good evening, Baltimore!

There might still be some votes left to be counted but, I think it’s safe to say that we are destined for a second term. 

Baltimore, tonight you said very clearly that your democracy is not for sale.

You’ve confirmed once again that the naysayers who underestimate our city will never, ever understand what truly makes Baltimore great

We overcame the odds - including a Trump-loving Republican Super PAC that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars telling lies about our city and ignoring our progress. 

And we still won.

A victory tonight means that the work has only just begun.

Winning is not a triumph, it’s a challenge to go further, be better, and do more for Baltimore.  

It’s a mandate to double down and work harder for this city and each and every one of you 

Winning a race like this is a pact with this city that we will see this through and accomplish our goal of turning the page once and for all, on the corrupt, failed broken politics of the past. 

This election was about a clear choice – a choice about what kind of future we wanted to see for Baltimore.

Would we allow scandal and corruption to keep City Hall distracted from solving our problems, or would we lead with the integrity required to achieve greatness and deliver real change for our communities.

Would we go back to simply saying our kids are our number one priority, OR would we continue to actually show them that we care by making historic investments in their education, building them new rec centers instead of closing them down, and providing opportunities that should’ve been provided all along.

Would we go back to the broken failed policies of mass arrests and zero tolerance policing, or would we stay the course on our effective violence reduction strategy that works with our communities, instead of terrorizing them.

Would we continue to allow decades of disinvestment to leave communities behind, or would we act with a bold vision that centers equity at the heart of how our government functions, so that Baltimore becomes a place where everyone can succeed and no community is left behind. 

The results tonight show that Baltimore’s choice is to keep moving forward – and I am honored by the trust being placed in me to continue this fight.

I want to extend my thanks to former Mayor Dixon for her passion for this city, for her commitment to our residents, and for a hard-fought race.

But, now, it is time to turn the page.

Baltimore, we are going to finish the transformation that we’ve started these past four years.

Together,  we achieved the largest homicide reduction this city has ever seen – and so far this year we’re beating that. 

Together, we’ve invested more in our young people than any Administration before. And we’re going to continue.

And together, we’ve kickstarted an unprecedented amount of equitable community development that is making a real impact for Baltimoreans in every single neighborhood.

In this race – we brought that record to Baltimore residents and made our case to let us finish what we started, let us see this fight through, and set the stage for Baltimore’s renaissance to truly take hold.

The wisdom of Baltimoreans won out and because of that I am blessed to have another term to serve as your Mayor.

I have always been here to serve. I want to keep putting every ounce of energy I have toward helping to build this city into the best version of itself.

I love this work because I love this city and I love its people. 

And that will never falter.

We’re going to keep doing the work.

We’re going to keep reducing violence the right way.

We’re going to keep prioritizing our kids, not balancing budgets on their backs.

We’re going to keep making sure that Baltimore is a place for all of our people – not just the wealthy, well-connected few. 

I want to thank each and every person in this room for being a part of this movement. 

Thank you for believing in our vision.

Thank you for having hope and optimism about our city.

And thank you for striving every single day – often against insurmountable odds – to make things better for all of us.

I want to thank all of my elected partners that are here.

Most of all, thank you to my family.

My beautiful fiancé, Hana

My amazing sons, Ceron and Charm.

My parents and brothers and cousins and everyone who built me into the man I am today.

And tonight is our night to celebrate together. To acknowledge and appreciate how far we’ve brought our city in just four short years. 

And tomorrow, we wake up and we go back to work to make sure we fight for a stronger Baltimore 

Because like my mentor the late great Elijah Cummings taught all of us, 

Winning elections is never the goal - completing the work is.

Thank you and good night!