Black Lives Matter Activist Gets Less Than 1% in Baltimore Mayoral Poll

Black Lives Matter activist and Baltimore mayoral candidate DeRay Mckesson is a statistical no-show, accumulating less than one percent in a poll for the Baltimore Democratic mayoral race.

“All other candidates in the crowded field of 13 Democrats—including prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson … garnered less than 1 percent,” wrote Luke Broadwater and Yvonne Wenger The Baltimore Sun.

Mckesson became a beloved social media activist among the mainstream press during last year’s riots in Ferguson, Missouri. The 30-year-old Baltimore native nearly missed the February 3 filing deadline to run for mayor of Baltimore.

Even with his 300,000-plus Twitter followers and favorable news coverage, Mckesson faces near-impossible political odds.

“DeRay Mckesson is completely unknown to voters,” said Steve Raabe, president of Annapolis-based polling firm OpinionWorks. “They want somebody who understands Baltimore, has paid their dues and been around. That’s not to say he can’t introduce himself, but right now, he’s a complete unknown.”

Baltimore’s Democratic primary is on April 26.

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson.