Sheila Dixon: Tells What Motivates Her In Write-In Campaign

RadioOnFire.com - In Baltimore, the general election is all but a formality for citywide races. Former Mayor Sheila Dixon, narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary, wants to make it one worth watching.

"I accept it but what I don't accept is what took place and what happened," Dixon told C4 Wednesday, referring to reports of irregularities at polling places in Maryland's primary. "This is not sour grapes at all, believe me. I know how to win and I know how to lose."

This week, she filed as a write-in candidate. She said she's hear from a number of city voters who believe what happened in the primary was unacceptable. The results were briefly de-certified by the state board of elections.

"They felt that this election was stolen. They felt there was some real underhanded things going on and they felt their vote didn't count," Dixon said. "Last but not least, we're in a crisis. We should not accept 300 homicides and murders a year and say that this is gonna be the norm. And I was able to show my leadership that we can reduce crime, that we can deal with systemic issues and quality of life in this city."

A write-in campaign like hers has never been successful in Baltimore, and such success is rare nationally. In 2002, then-incumbent Washington mayor Anthony Williams mounted a successful write-in campaign for the Democratic primary. In 2010, after U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, was narrowly defeated in her primary, she became the first Senate candidate to win a write-in campaign. But Murkowski had months. Dixon has just a few weeks. Why the 11th hour entry?

"I wasn't sure," she said. "I talked to a lot of people, my pollster and other advisers who felt that the fact that I did so well in the primary and the outcome that could have possibly happened that it could have a effect on my reputation. But you know what? If I don't move forward, and it's not about my reputation, it's not about how the votes are going to turn out? it's about doing the right thing and it's about serving the citizens of Baltimore and it's about [doing] it now or never, and I strongly believe this is the opportunity to do it."

She said she still believes she's the best person for the job on a ballot that already includes her Democratic rival state Sen. Catherine Pugh, Republican Alan Walden (a former WBAL news anchor) and Green Joshua Harris.

"Right now, I believe that I can pull together the best team," Dixon said. "My leadership, my ability to get in there and get things moving right away. Let me tell you. Sen. Pugh might be a legislator and Alan Walden, who, you know, whatever he does, and Joshua Harris can't hit the ground running day one. They've got a learning curb that's probably going to take four years based on cleaning up the mess that currently we're facing."

Source WBAL