Maryland gubernatorial candidate Rushern L. Baker III has hit the airwaves with his first television commercial, in which he promises to “stop the slaughter of young Black men and turn Baltimore around.”

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       Baker, a former Prince George’s County executive and state delegate who is making his second run for the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor, focuses the 30-second spot on Baltimore’s escalating crime.

       “In the last eight years, over 2,000 mostly young Black men have been killed in Baltimore,” Baker says in the opening of the advertisement. “Because they’re Black, nobody in power gives a damn.”

       Baker outlines the key components of his crime-fighting plan, which includes declaring a state of emergency in the city; moving his gubernatorial office from Annapolis to Baltimore and hiring more police officers. He says he will also “tackle the root causes of crime” and fix vacant housing. Baker’s broader crime plan includes a job and education plan for “squeegee boys” that provides “guaranteed jobs” and possible free tuition at a state university for eligible participants. “Squeegee boys” are youths who clean vehicle windshields at traffic lights and ask for payment.

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       In recent weeks Baker has made crime-fighting the cornerstone of his campaign and has promoted himself as the candidate with the experience to address violence.

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       “Baltimore is Maryland’s largest city and our center of commerce, health care, tourism and culture. This endless cycle of death is a human tragedy that is also taking a catastrophic toll on Maryland’s economic and financial well-being,” Baker said in a statement. “We will tackle this crisis head-on and I know we will achieve real results, because I’ve done it before.”

       Baker lost the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary to former NAACP president Ben Jealous, who then lost the general election contest to Republican Larry Hogan. This year, Baker is vying for the nomination in a crowded field that includes Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, author and former nonprofit chief Wes Moore, former U.S. labor secretary Tom Perez, former U.S. education secretary John B. King Jr. and former Maryland state attorney general Douglas Gansler. Four other lesser-known candidates round out the field.

       Baker’s six-figure ad campaign will run in the Baltimore market until mid-May. The primary election is scheduled for July 19.