Activist DeRay McKesson to run in Baltimore Democratic mayoral primary: report

DeRay McKesson, who gained prominence as an activist against police violence, has filed paperwork to run for political office, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday night.

The Baltimore Board of Elections stated that McKesson will enter this year's Democratic primary for the mayoral election in Baltimore.

This story has been updated

"Baltimore is at a moment," McKesson told the Post. "I'm running to usher Baltimore into a new era where our government is accountable to its people and aggressively innovative in how it identifies and solves problems."

McKesson, who has been part of the Black Lives Matter movement, reportedly filed less than an hour before the deadline of 9 p.m. local time. He formerly worked as an administrator in the Baltimore school system, where he was born. McKesson told the Post that he moved back to the city last March.

With current Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) not seeking re-election, McKesson will enter a Democratic primary against 14 other candidates, including former Mayor Sheila Dixon, as well as Maryland state Sen. Catherine Pugh (D).

"I've lived through too many lofty promises and vague plans," Mckesson said. "We've come to rely on a traditional model of politics only to be rewarded with disappointing results."