Thiru Vignarajah previously served as a federal and city prosecutor and Deputy Attorney General of Maryland. An immigrant, son of Baltimore City school teachers, and product of public schools himself, Thiru attended Yale University and Harvard Law School, where he was president of the Harvard Law Review, and later clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer. When he was named Deputy Attorney General, the former police commissioner of Baltimore City called Thiru a "once-in-a-generation lawyer and leader."

From the beginning of his campaign, Thiru has focused on creating a better future for Baltimore by ending the bloodshed, rooting out corruption in City Hall, and revitalizing our economy. Thiru has a concrete plan to address the immediate, daily threat of violent crime across all neighborhoods without mass incarceration, mandatory minimums, or cash bail. Drastically reducing crime will not only change the narrative of Baltimore, it will also allow us to fully unleash many of the city's engines of promise.

Thiru has called for Baltimore to become the first city in America to legalize and tax recreational marijuana without federal or state approval, opening new revenue streams and a flourishing, untouched market for local entrepreneurs. Thiru has pledged to focus on ten key industries of Baltimore's future including, biotech, cybersecurity, culinary arts, and driverless vehicles, and to cut property taxes in half over ten years. Furthermore, Thiru has announced plans to support small businesses and startups that outline how to reduce costs, as well as initiatives that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, including health insurance incentives to companies that commit to staying in the city for at least five years.