Baltimore Mayoral Candidates Make Final Push Ahead of Primary Day

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- We're just hours away from voters heading to the polls in one of the most hotly-contested mayor's races ever. The candidates are coming down to the wire as they try to convince voters that they are the right ones to run the city.

Meghan McCorkell has more on the last-minute push this election eve.

All of the candidates were on the campaign trail Monday, hoping it's enough for them to win the top spot in City Hall.

Months of campaigning has all come down to this: from the crack of dawn to working the lunch crowd to late in the day, the top candidates for mayor aren't taking any breaks heading into the home stretch.

"I am just moving from place to place to place and saying hello to as many people as possible," said Elizabeth Embry.

"We're going to be all over the city today, talking about jobs, opportunity, better schools," said David Warnock.

The mayoral hopefuls are praying last minute momentum helps push them past their opponents.

"None of the other candidates can get into City Hall, manage, understand the budget and move this city in a way that's never been done before," Sheila Dixon said.

"I think we have the momentum but more importantly, it's because of the work that we've done, knocking on doors every single day. We've had a ground campaign like no other," said Catherine Pugh.

The frontrunners are hoping all that hard work translates to big numbers at the ballot box.

Not everyone will go to the polls Tuesday. Nearly 30,000 Baltimore residents voted early this year. That's seven times the number that voted early last mayoral primary.

"It does say a lot about how important this election is that that many people decided to come out early," said Carl Stokes.

Now the race to run the city is all in the hands of the voters.

The polls here in Baltimore open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.