I also posted this over at Political State Report.

Despite claiming for months that he would run for mayor, Carl Stokes decided at the last minute to run for Baltimore City Council President instead, and will not challenge Martin O’Malley for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming September primary. Also at the last minute, the Republicans found someone to put on the ballot.

From today’s Baltimore Sun:

Former City Councilman Carl Stokes abruptly abandoned his mayoral candidacy last night, filing instead to run for Baltimore’s second-highest job – the council presidency.

Stokes said he was persuaded to make the change after a talk with state Sen. Joan Carter Conway, who decided at the 9 p.m. filing deadline against her own run for mayor.

Councilwoman Catherine E. Pugh also declared her expected candidacy for City Council president earlier in the day. She and Stokes, along with the Rev. James H. Jones, will be taking on incumbent council President Sheila Dixon in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary.

Conway sat in her car outside the Board of Elections office on East Fayette Street, waiting for polling numbers on her chances against Mayor Martin O’Malley, and walked inside with completed filing papers just before the deadline. But minutes later, she ended some of the confusion in the crowded lobby by saying, “I am not a candidate.”

O’Malley’s chief opposition in the Democratic primary will now come from Andrey Bundley, 42, principal of Walbrook High Uniform Services Academy. Other contenders are: Marvin Ray Jones, 55; A. Robert Kaufman, a 72-year-old socialist activist; Anton J.S. Keating, 59, a criminal defense attorney; Charles U. Smith, 53, a one-time candidate for Congress; and Dominique Stevenson, 38, who said she was a co-director of a social justice center but refused to name it.

While Stokes probably would have probably been O’Malley’s only real competition for the nomination, it is doubtful that he could have actually beaten O’Malley. The last poll taken had O’Malley’s job approval rating at 69%.

This essentially contradicts two posts I made earlier on this subject here and here. In my defense, I was just taking Carl Stokes at his word.

Stokes decision to not run for mayor probably has a bigger impact on the 2006 gubernatorial election. Without any real competition for the September primary and assuming no big name joins the race as an Independent before the November 2004 general election, O’Malley will be able to save most of the money he has raised so far for his gubernatorial run in 2006. This will have a huge impact on whether Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan will have the ability to compete financially with O’Malley if the two end up facing off for the Democratic nomination in 2006. To a lesser degree, there is also no doubt Governor Ehrlich was hoping for at least a nominal challenge to O’Malley to help whittle away O’Malley’s current warchest of almost $3 million. Every dollar O’Malley is able to save now is a dollar that will be used against Duncan and Ehrlich in 2006.

Also from the Baltimore Sun, here is a full list of the Democratic candidates filing for Mayor and City Council President:

For mayor:

Andrey Bundley, 42. Principal of Walbrook High Uniform Services Academy and has never run for office.

Marvin Ray Jones, 55. No information available.

A. Robert Kaufman, 72. A socialist activist and frequent candidate who garnered less than 1 percent of the vote in the 1999 mayoral primary.

Anton J.S. Keating, 59. British-born criminal defense attorney who lost the election for state’s attorney last year.

Martin O’Malley, 40. Elected mayor in 1999 and, with more than $2.8 million in his coffers, remains the favorite.

Charles U. Smith, 53. Lost a bid for city comptroller in 1999, and finished a distant third for a U.S. House seat last year.

Dominique Stevenson, 38. Describes herself as co-director of a social justice center.

For City Council president:

Sheila Dixon, 49. Elected president in 1999 after 12 years on the City Council.

James H. Jones 2d, 49. Minister at Mount Hattin Baptist Church, has never run for office.

Catherine E. Pugh, 53. A public relations executive, elected to the council from the 4th District in West Baltimore in 1999.

Carl Stokes, 53. Vice president of new business development for Mid Atlantic Health Care in Owings Mills. Lost to O’Malley in the 1999 primary.

It should be noted that if Martin O’Malley were to defeat Ehrlich in 2006, the City Council President would then become Mayor of Baltimore. Right now, Sheila Dixon would have to be considered the favorite.