Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is claiming Mayor Brandon Scott endorsed him for reelection, according to a poster board featuring a list of Bates’ endorsers on display at a Mount Vernon campaign fundraiser Monday night.

Scott’s name appeared on the board with fellow Democrats like Gov. Wes Moore, both U.S. senators, Rep. Kweisi Mfume and a handful of state lawmakers. The list of endorsements appeared in a video from the event that Bates posted to Facebook.

The Banner noticed the endorsement and called both campaigns on Tuesday to verify the announcement. Both refused to speak on the record about the issue. After The Banner reported that Bates had claimed the mayor’s endorsement, however, the mayor’s office swiped back, saying the endorsement was not official.

“While we were approached for an endorsement and indicated that further discussions are necessary, the mayor has not officially endorsed the state’s attorney,” said Scott campaign spokesperson Bryan Doherty. “We look forward to continuing those conversations over the coming weeks.”

Advertise with us

Not so fast, said Bates campaign spokesperson Hassan Giordano. In a text message, Giordano disputed the Scott campaign’s characterization of the situation.

“The state’s attorney called the mayor and asked for his endorsement, and knows what what was said,” Giordano wrote. “If the mayor feels inclined not to support the work the state’s attorney has done on behalf of the citizens of Baltimore to keep them protected, that’s his prerogative.”

It shouldn’t, and usually wouldn’t, be news that Baltimore’s sitting mayor endorsed the sitting state’s attorney. They’re both Democrats, and the city’s murder rate is trending toward an all-time low.

Throw in the fact that Bates doesn’t even have a challenger, and, really, a Scott endorsement should be a nothing burger.

This endorsement snafu could be a poor game of telephone. Maybe campaign wires got crossed. Regardless, Baltimore’s most well-aged beef is back on the political menu.

Advertise with us

It was just three months ago that Scott and Bates seemed really, truly on the rocks. There were concerns about whether their staffs could work together. Bates threatened to sue the city. Things were so dicey that civic leaders, elected and not, tried to de-escalate the situation.

Later, in a January profile published in The Banner, the state’s attorney compared the mayor’s hallmark public safety office to his own young daughter. Bates also declined to entirely rule out a run for mayor in 2028, acknowledging that there were people who wanted to see him in City Hall over Scott.

Scott has said he is seeking reelection for a third term in 2028.

Things have apparently calmed since. Should Scott endorse Bates, it would signal a political detente in a relationship that’s often been fraught.

The two men haven’t seen eye to eye on public safety since Bates won his primary election in 2022. Their fights have ranged from claims of deception and secrecy to petty back-and-forths over who is the Lamar Jackson of Baltimore’s crime-fighting effort.

Advertise with us

Past endorsements have been a sore spot. In 2024, Bates endorsed former Mayor Sheila Dixon’s primary challenge against Scott.

“The more I began to have conversations with the mayor, it was clear that he wanted the policies of my predecessor,” Bates said at the time, referring to former State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

Bates went on to appear in television ads with Dixon.

The two men eventually brokered a peace with the help of famed Baltimore attorney Billy Murphy and released a joint statement.

“Our frank discussion allowed us to lay a foundation for what we believe will be a more effective partnership moving forward,” the statement said.