Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake won't seek re-election

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Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who faced criticism for her handling of riots in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, won't seek re-election, she announced Friday. The development comes as Baltimore gears up for the trial of six police officers charged in Gray's death.

During a press conference, Rawlings-Blake said that time spent running for re-election would be "time that I would be taking away from my current responsibility to my city, to the city that I love, the city that I took an oath to serve." In addition to the riots following Gray's death, Baltimore's homicides in 2015 have soared, surpassing those in New York City, a much larger city.

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Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.