Scott, Dixon stand firm after Vignarajah’s last-minute exit from Baltimore mayoral race

In the competitive and crowded Democratic primary for mayor, not all was what it seemed as early voting began Thursday.

Baltimoreans trickled into the city’s early voting centers Thursday with — at least on paper — the same options they’ve had for months, with candidates they’ve seen in their communities and on their television screens appearing on their ballots.

But in the competitive and crowded Democratic primary for mayor, not all was what it seemed.

Thiru Vignarajah, an attorney running his fourth citywide campaign in six years, dropped out Wednesday afternoon and threw his support behind former Mayor Sheila Dixon. The race is considered a toss-up between Dixon and Mayor Brandon Scott, with Vignarajah recently polling in third place with about 10% of the vote.

The decision so late into the election cycle — with thousands of mail-in ballots already cast and the May 14 primary day quickly approaching — meant Vignarajah’s name was still on city ballots as early in-person voting kicked off Thursday morning across eight early voting centers in the city.

“I was hoping he wouldn’t do that,” Sherrell Conner, a Vignarajah supporter, said after hearing the news and expressing frustration.

Conner, 50, now plans to vote for Dixon but said “she would never have been my first choice.” A dental assistant who lives in the Northwest section of the city, Conner said she liked that Vignarajah’s parents were teachers in Baltimore, which she thought gave him good insight into the school system, and that he was interested in prosecuting violent crime.

“He had a story that just really resonated with me,” Conner said.

As voters made their decisions, the two remaining major candidates continued campaigning, with Scott visiting an early voting center at Mount Pleasant Church and Ministries in the morning and Dixon announcing a new endorsement, from state Sen. Jill Carter, in the afternoon.

Scott, in an interview after unveiling a new mural on the Baltimore City Convention Center, said he “felt good” about his position as in-person voting began.

He also confirmed what officials close to him had said Wednesday — that he met with Vignarajah in the morning before he dropped out and that Vignarajah asked if he would consider naming him CEO of city schools or police commissioner if he endorsed him instead of Dixon.

“I met with him. What I said yesterday, happened yesterday,” Scott said when asked about Dixon’s claim that Scott was “pushing a false narrative.”

“I think voters in Baltimore City are smart. They know that they should be voting for people who are committed to the city,” Scott said. “They won’t fall for tricks late (in the) game in an election.”

Vignarajah, in an interview Wednesday night at a Dixon rally, described the mayor’s initial statements as “games” and part of a “sour grapes” reaction.

“I think it is as juvenile a response as it is telling,” Vignarajah said.

At her endorsement event Thursday, Dixon did not answer when asked whether Vignarajah asked for positions in a potential future administration.

“I am not going to put the cart before the horse,” Dixon said. “I’m in the middle of the election. I had many, many people discuss with me about what they might be interested in, and as I said to everybody that I talked to, right now, it’s in God’s hands, it’s in the voters’ hands.”

Asked again directly if Vignarajah approached her with the same offer of police commissioner or schools CEO, Dixon responded, “What did I just say? When people ask me about anything, I’m not putting the cart before the horse.”

Vignarajah’s exit might have other ramifications, according to some officials and advocates who raised questions Thursday about his use of public campaign financing.

Vignarajah had raised only small, $150-maximum donations from city residents in order to qualify for more than $600,000 in public money. He’d spent much or all of that on television ads and other campaign activities before exiting the race, according to his own public statements and public records.

Because he withdrew and endorsed another candidate before primary day, Councilman Kristerfer Burnett, who supports Scott’s campaign, said he believes Vignarajah should return all the money quickly and with interest. In a letter to the city solicitor on Thursday, he requested a formal legal opinion on whether the money should be returned. Burnett sponsored the original legislation leading voters approving the public financing program in 2018.

Leaders for good-government groups Common Cause Maryland and Maryland PIRG said in statements they also believe the money should be returned.

“A participating candidate endorsing an opponent is unprecedented in Maryland,” Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, said while referring to the public financing program. “In other jurisdictions candidates who have suspended their campaigns have abstained from endorsements, and we are disappointed Mr. Vignarajah did not do the same. He should return the money he received back to the program.”

Baltimore Sun reporters Emily Opilo and Lia Russell contributed to this article.