Challenger outraises longtime Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger in 2026 race
Alex Mann
The Baltimore Sun
January 15, 2025
A challenger has emerged to unseat longtime Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger in 2026, and she has outraised him by more than double so far, campaign finance reports show.
Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah David, a county resident, had more than $105,000 on hand as of the latest campaign finance reporting deadline, compared to about $50,000 for Shellenberger, according to their respective finance reports.
“I am pleased and proud to have earned the support of friends, neighbors, colleagues, and community leaders,” David, a Democrat, said in an emailed statement. “I’m running for State’s Attorney to bring leadership, solutions, and a justice system that works for the people in Baltimore County, where I was born and raised.
“I look forward to this campaign, and to the chance to engage with residents around Baltimore who all want fairness, accountability, and justice with integrity.”
David has a tough task in unseating Shellenberger, who has been state’s attorney since 2006.
“I’ve already won five elections, so I think the people of Baltimore County have spoken and I’m going to ask them to speak again and support me. Right now, I’m focusing full time, if not more, on my job, which is running this office,” Shellenberger told The Baltimore Sun. “My whole goal in life is to constantly work to keep the citizens of Baltimore County safe and that’s what I’m concentrating on.”
As deputy state prosecutor, David handled public corruption cases, like that of former gubernatorial aide Roy McGrath. Before that, she was chief of staff to the chair of the Maryland Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee and a line prosecutor in Baltimore.
David was assigned to prosecute two of the Baltimore Police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray from injuries sustained in police custody. She resigned shortly after a more senior prosecutor quit over objections to prosecuting officers in that case.
Shellenberger has been a champion for crime victims’ rights in Annapolis, often speaking on behalf of his peers across Maryland, while maintaining a tough-on-crime stance. He has helmed the state’s attorney’s office through several high-profile prosecutions, like the case of four teens convicted of killing Baltimore County Police Officer Amy Caprio and, more recently, a man found guilty of shooting two county cops.
Former Baltimore State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein hired David as an assistant state’s attorney more than a decade ago and has since “watched her become just a terrific lawyer and a prosecutor,” he said.
“The main factors are her skills and talents as a lawyer and her dedication and commitment to public service and her, what I perceive to be, strong managerial skills that can help lead that office,” Bernstein said.
As city state’s attorney from 2011 to 2015, Bernstein, a Democrat, collaborated with Shellenberger, his counterpart in the county. In that capacity, he supported Shellenberger. Even when Bernstein left office, he said, he wanted to see Shellenberger succeed.
But any office, Bernstein said, “can become stagnant after a period of time and after a period of time it’s good to look at it in a new light, have a fresh start, a more modern focus.”
Unseating an incumbent elected prosecutor is a feat that Bernstein also knows. Marilyn Mosby upset him to become Baltimore state’s attorney.
“The amount of money that she has raised in a very brief time period, well before the election, I think speaks volumes about the level of support that she already has and she’s really just getting started,” Bernstein said. “It’s a good sign that there are others in the community who feel it is time for a change. And I think that she will, given her terrific start, be able to build on that.”
Taking on an incumbent in any election is an uphill battle, especially for down-ballot races, said Roger Hartley, the dean of the University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs. “When you get further down on the list of the ballot, people tend to vote less and they tend to know less. So they tend to go with name recognition.”
“People know who Shellenberger is, or they’ve at least heard of him,” Hartley added.
But, Shellenberger showed vulnerability in his narrow 2022 victory over attorney Robbie Leonard, he said, and David has put herself in a good position by outraising Shellenberger early.
“Early money keeps away opponents. Early money builds name recognition. It allows you to build a campaign,” Hartley said.
Hartley also said building coalitions is critical to a candidate trying to unseat an incumbent.
Deli Okafor, vice president of the Young Democrats of Maryland, said David has been “laying the groundwork for some time.” Okafor donated $50 to David’s campaign.
“I have donated to Sarah’s campaign and I support her because I know she’s been someone in the community who’s built a lot of coalitions for women and families,” Okafor said. “She has a true dedication to public service. That’s evident by the roles that she’s had in her career.”
Prominent defense lawyer Warren A. Brown, who donated $1,000 to Shellenberger’s campaign, said he supports the longtime state’s attorney because of how Shellenberger oversaw his prosecutors.
“They were given autonomy and decision-making. I like that,” Brown told The Sun. “I like the way the office was run. … In other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Brown said Shellenberger’s holding the position so long could also be an “Achilles heel.” He added that Shellenberger should hope someone else jumps into the race and divides the vote.
“If it’s one-on-one, I think she’s going to prevail,” Brown said. “But he still has my support because I like the way the trains run on time.”
For his part, Shellenberger said he hasn’t focused on fundraising and isn’t worried about David outraising him.
“I’m not concerned,” he said. “I haven’t really been working that hard to raise money, I’ve been working hard to run the state’s attorney’s office in Baltimore County. But now that I have an opponent, I’ll have to do both. I’ve had that support for five elections. Obviously, I’ll go back to those folks and try to include more to try to have the support necessary to win number six.”