Brandon Scott Bio
Brandon Maurice Scott (born April 8, 1984) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented Baltimore’s 2nd district on the City Council from 2011 to 2019 and was elected City Council president in 2019. Scott campaigned on progressive public safety and equity initiatives, including violence reduction strategies and police accountability measures, and has pursued housing, economic development, and public-health policies during his mayoralty. He was a 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor of Maryland on Jim Shea’s ticket. Scott is widely recognized as the youngest mayor in Baltimore’s modern history and has emerged as a national voice on urban policy.
Early Life and Background
Brandon Maurice Scott was born and raised in Park Heights, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up in a working-class community shaped his early interest in public service and civic responsibility. As a child, he admired Congressman Elijah Cummings, who represented Baltimore in the U.S. House of Representatives, and saw him as a role model.
Scott attended Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School, where he ran track and cross country before graduating in 2002. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2006. His college years allowed him to study government and policy in greater depth, reinforcing the path he had already begun considering in his Baltimore neighborhood.
Path to US Politics
After graduating from college, Scott worked as a liaison for City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, gaining firsthand experience in municipal government. In 2011, he was elected to the Baltimore City Council representing the 2nd district, becoming one of the youngest members ever elected to city office. He chaired the Public Safety Committee and served on the Budget and Appropriations and Judiciary and Legislative Investigations committees.
During his council tenure, Scott passed legislation creating an open data policy in Baltimore and oversaw the reinstatement of council oversight of the Baltimore Police Department. He voted against an aerial surveillance program for the police department and supported reductions in police funding, helping cut $22 million from the city’s policing budget in 2020. In May 2019, the council unanimously voted to elevate him to City Council president, succeeding Bernard C. “Jack” Young, who had become mayor after Catherine Pugh’s resignation.
Brandon Scott Career
Early Career (2011–2019)
Scott’s political career began in earnest when he won election to the Baltimore City Council in 2011. Over the next several years, he built a reputation as a reform-minded councilman focused on transparency, public safety, and budget accountability. In early 2018, he successfully passed an ordinance creating Baltimore’s first open data policy, giving residents greater access to municipal information.
On February 16, 2018, Baltimore attorney Jim Shea announced Scott as his running mate in the 2018 Maryland gubernatorial election, positioning Scott as a candidate for lieutenant governor. Although the Shea-Scott ticket did not win, the campaign raised Scott’s statewide profile. In May 2019, he was elevated to City Council president, a position that placed him at the center of Baltimore’s legislative leadership.
Breakthrough (2019–2020)
Scott announced his campaign for mayor of Baltimore on September 13, 2019, at a press conference in his childhood neighborhood of Park Heights. On June 9, 2020, he was declared the winner of the Democratic primary, defeating incumbent mayor Jack Young. His victory in the primary was widely viewed as the decisive contest because Democrats hold a nearly 10-to-1 advantage in registered voters in Baltimore.
Scott went on to win the November 3, 2020, general election in a landslide, defeating independent Bob Wallace by a nearly 3-to-1 margin. Inaugurated in a small, socially distanced ceremony on December 8, 2020, he vowed to take on two public health emergencies: gun violence and the coronavirus pandemic. At age 36, he became the youngest mayor in Baltimore’s history.
Democratic Era (2020–Present)
On his first day in office, Scott signed an order ending restaurant dining and capping retail, religious gatherings, gyms, malls, casinos, and museums at 25 percent capacity. He lifted Baltimore’s mask mandate and state of emergency on July 1, 2021, before reinstating the mask mandate in August 2021 following a 374 percent increase in COVID-19 infections. He also launched the “GoVax Maryland” confidence campaign with Governor Larry Hogan in January 2021 to promote vaccination.
Scott pursued several signature policy initiatives, including a Group Violence Reduction Strategy launched in January 2022 in the Western Police District, which led to a reported 33.8 percent decrease in gun violence by December 2022. In May 2022, he launched the Strategic Management and Alternative Response Tactics (SMART) initiative with the Baltimore Police Department. In April 2022, he announced a guaranteed income pilot program providing 200 young parents with $1,000 monthly payments for two years, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. He also filed a lawsuit against Polymer80 in June 2022, which was settled for $1.2 million in February 2024.
Scott announced his reelection campaign on November 18, 2023, and won the Democratic primary on May 14, 2024, again defeating Sheila Dixon. He won the November 5, 2024, general election against Republican challenger Shannon Wright, becoming the first Baltimore mayor since Martin O’Malley to win a second term. In 2024, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention pledged to Kamala Harris.
Notable Events and Milestones
Scott was notified of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse minutes after the collision on March 26, 2024, and emphasized that rescue operations were his top priority. His response drew national media attention and helped boost his approval rating. In August 2025, he publicly condemned remarks by President Donald Trump about crime in Baltimore, citing statistics showing a downward trend in violent crime. After the president threatened to mobilize the National Guard in the city, Scott said his administration was exploring legal remedies against any federal intervention.
Brandon Scott Political Highlights
Scott’s electoral record includes a 2020 Democratic primary win over Jack Young, a landslide 2020 general election victory over independent Bob Wallace, a 2024 Democratic primary win over Sheila Dixon, and a 2024 general election win over Republican Shannon Wright. His 2024 victory made him the first Baltimore mayor since Martin O’Malley to win a second term.
Baltimore Mayoral Wins
Scott first won the mayoralty in 2020 after defeating incumbent Jack Young in the Democratic primary and Bob Wallace in the general election. In 2024, he won the Democratic primary against Sheila Dixon and the general election against Republican challenger Shannon Wright, securing a second term in office.
Other Achievements
Scott was a 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor of Maryland on Jim Shea’s ticket and was named one of 10 new co-chairs of Mayors Against Illegal Guns in February 2022. He has also been active in civic causes, including the 300 Man March, a nonviolence group.
Brandon Scott Family
Family Background and Community Roots
Brandon Maurice Scott was raised in the Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore, where he developed his early interest in public service. He has often credited his Baltimore upbringing and the example set by Congressman Elijah Cummings as formative influences on his political values and career path.
Personal Life
Scott became engaged to Hana Pugh on December 25, 2023, and their first child was born the following day. Scott and Pugh married on August 11, 2024. In September 2024, the couple announced they were expecting a second child, a baby girl, who was born on March 8, 2025. The family resides in Frankford, Baltimore, Maryland.