Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake appeared to close the door on a possible U.S. Senate run during her regular media availability this week.
Mayor Stephanie Rawling-Blake at her weekly media availability on March 25. (Photo by Roberto Alejandro)
Rawlings-Blake had been mentioned as a possible contender in the 2016 race for the U.S. Senate seat from Maryland after longtime U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced her impending retirement at a press conference in Baltimore on March 2. The mayor had acknowledged on various occasions that she was considering a run but that she had not come to a final decision.
When asked whether she was any nearer to a decision during her weekly media availability on March 25, Rawlings-Blake said she considers it a privilege to serve as mayor, and that while she understands the importance of having political strength from Baltimore in the U.S. Senate, she knows there are other Baltimore Democrats considering a run of their own.
“My goal is to stay where I am, and I’m working very hard to make that a reality,” continued the mayor. “The thing that I also know is, while I’m trying to stay where I am and continue to serve as mayor for the citizens of Baltimore, I also know that there are some Baltimore-based candidates that are looking at it and I’m encouraged by that.”
Told that her statement sounded like she was indeed not running, the mayor responded playfully, saying, “I like what I’m doing, and I know you’d miss me terribly.”
The mayor’s comment seemed to shut the door on the possibility of a Senate run, but Rawlings-Blake avoided giving a firm “no” when asked again if that was what she meant.
“I want to stay where I am, so let’s just try to work on getting somebody from Baltimore,” said Rawlings-Blake.
ralejandro@afro.com