Hanna drops out of Baltimore State's Attorney race, all but securing Bates' win
BALTIMORE -- The race for Baltimore's next state's attorney is now down to one man, Ivan Bates. Bates' last remaining competitor, Independent Roya Hanna, dropped out and endorsed him on Friday.
"I look forward to being the next state's attorney for Baltimore," said Bates, the Democratic nominee for Baltimore's State's Attorney.
"I am putting the safety and security of the residents of Baltimore ahead of my own ambition," Hanna said. "I believe that Mr. Bates will be able to reduce homicide."
Now that the road has been cleared for Bates to be the next state's attorney, his team will have to start the transition process of how to deal with Baltimore's crime problem.
As Bates and his former competitor made that announcement, police were investigating a quadruple shooting that left two people dead in Southwest Baltimore near North Rosedale and West North Avenue.
The city has seen at least 208 homicides so far this year, 16 more than the same time in 2021.
During his campaign, Bates said his priority would be to crack down on crime and he reinforced that message Friday.
"I ran on a platform of change. I ran on a platform of accountability. And one of the things that we have really talked about is going after violent offenders," Bates said. "Two most important things for my administration is to one—go after repeat violent offenders and holding them accountable—and individuals with illegal handguns, and rebuilding the state's attorney's office."
The state's attorneys' office has struggled to keep veteran prosecutors. Bates said he will have to evaluate the budget and staffing so that his team can hit the ground running on day one.
Bates has also pledged to work with Mayor Brandon Scott and the Baltimore Police Department. Additionally, he promised to attend roll call for officers to show that their work is appreciated.
Bates has also chimed in on the controversial subject of squeegee workers. He believes it's illegal for the workers to step in and out of traffic.
Bates, a prominent defense attorney, says he has one main focus.
"My job is clearly to keep the citizens of Baltimore city safe," Bates said.
Bates said he spoke with the current state's attorney, Marilyn Mosby, over the weekend and had a very good conversation with her. The two of them will have to work together for a transition.
Bates will have no competitor on the ballot; however, a write-in candidate is always possible but political experts say the chances of a write-in candidate winning are very slim.
