Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott outraised his chief rival Sheila Dixon by about $150,000 last year, campaign finance reports filed Wednesday showed, expanding the incumbent mayor’s war chest as the campaign begins to heat up.

However, Dixon’s campaign will have the benefit of an additional $200,000 contributed to a super PAC dedicated to supporting her candidacy.

The annual filings, which were due late Wednesday, showed Scott, a Democrat in his first term as mayor, raised $682,134 last year in his effort to maintain his seat. That eclipsed the $523,389 raised by Dixon, also a Democrat and the city’s former mayor, who is hoping to reclaim the seat she relinquished in 2010.

The fundraising efforts give Scott’s campaign $835,788 in cash on hand, more than double the $370,136 Dixon has available as the most competitive phase of the campaign opens.

However, Dixon’s more modest war chest belies an additional $200,065 raised by the Better Baltimore PAC. That PAC, which is allowed to spend money in support of Dixon, but cannot coordinate with the campaign, was funded almost entirely by two $100,000 contributions, one from John Luetkemeyer of Continental Realty Corp. and another from David Smith, chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

Bob Wallace, a businessman and former independent candidate running as a Democrat this cycle, took in $250,651 over the reporting period which began Jan. 12, 2023, and ran until last week. The majority of that funding — just over $200,000 — was loaned to the campaign by Wallace himself. Wallace’s report showed his campaign still owed $343,000 that he lent the fund in 2020.

The Democratic primary, which typically decides the mayoral race in deeply blue Baltimore, will be held May 14.

Donations to Scott flowed in from numerous businesses last year, campaign finance records showed. MCB Property Services, an arm of Harborplace developer MCB Real Estate, gave Scott $6,000, the maximum donation allowed for one person or entity. Peter Pinkard, MCB’s managing partner, and Drew Gorman, a principal, each contributed $5,000. Principal and Chief Investment Officer Michael Trail gave $4,000.

MCB, headed by P. David Bramble, is still awaiting city zoning changes needed to clear the way for an ambitious renovation plan of Baltimore’s beleaguered Harborplace. Four new buildings, two of them apartment towers, surrounded by a reworked Inner Harbor promenade, a large new park and realigned roadways are planned. Bramble expects the project to need $400 million in public financing.

Eighteen donors gave Scott maximum donations including Insulator Drive LLC and Refinery Canton LLC, both of which listed a Locust Point address in the same Whetstone Way suite. That suite is home to 28 Walker Street Development whose head Mark Sapperstein also gave Scott a $5,000 donation. (Sapperstein and his wife each contributed the maximum $6,000 to Dixon.)

Scott’s campaign finance report shows he spent $296,829 last year, $44,500 of which was paid to New York-based Global Strategy Group in July for polling. Almost $140,000 was spent on consulting fees. Records show two payments to Marvin James, then a senior advisor in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods and now Scott’s chief of staff. One dated April 20 for $2,659 was marked “reimbursement.” Another $4,491 payment on March 3 was for food and drinks at a fundraiser.

Nicholas Machado, Scott’s campaign manager, said the fundraising effort was a “clear indicator” of the community’s “faith in Mayor Scott’s direction.”

Dixon, who served as mayor from 2007 until 2010 when she was forced from office by scandal, received a fundraising boost from other members of the Smith family, who are associated with Sinclair and Atlas Restaurant Group. Among the 36 donors who contributed the maximum $6,000 to Dixon were the restaurant group itself, restaurateurs Alex Smith and Eric Smith, Christina Ghani, Alex Smith’s wife, and Frederick Smith, vice president of Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

The Baltimore Sun was purchased last week by David Smith. David Smith did not contribute directly to Dixon’s campaign, instead channeling his money to the PAC, which does not have a contribution cap. He is the brother of Frederick Smith and the uncle of Alex and Eric Smith.

Dixon has appeared frequently on Sinclair’s Baltimore affiliate WBFF-TV, known as Fox 45, both ahead of and during her campaign. She has granted the station exclusive interviews and the station has aired her town hall events.

Also donating the maximum to Dixon’s campaign were several additional members of the politically connected Luetkemeyer family. Annie Luetkemeyer, Mary Luetkemeyer, Jean Prema and actress Julie Bowen contributed $6,000 each.

Ronald Jackson of Jackson and Associates Construction gave a $6,000 donation as did Brandon Chasen of Chasen Construction, Halp Development Corp. and Robert Ruff of Robert Ruff Roofers Inc.

Politicos donating to Dixon included several former office holders. The campaign of former Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young contributed $2,000, while the campaign account of former Sheriff John Anderson gave $1,500. Former comptroller Joan Pratt’s campaign fund donated $1,000. The office of lobbyist Bruce Bereano, who was convicted in the 1990s of fraud before returning to the lobbying game, gave $6,000.

Sitting officials who contributed included Councilman Eric Costello who gave $6,000 from his campaign fund and State Del. Sandy Rosenberg who gave $250. Both are Democrats who endorsed Dixon.

Dixon’s campaign fund has spent $158,000 thus far, including $43,500 to Washington, D.C.-based Hart Research Associates for polling.

Martha McKenna, Dixon’s campaign manager, noted that about half of Dixon’s 615 donors were first-time contributions to the former mayor. Dixon received about 400 small-dollar donations — those less than $100, McKenna said.

Joining Scott, Dixon and Wallace in the race are lesser-known Democrats Wendy Bozel, “Uncle Wayne” Baker, Kevin P. Harris, Wendell Hill-Freeman, Yolanda Pulley and Keith B. Scott. Republicans Donald E. Scoggins and Michael Moore have also filed to run. Harris, Hill-Freeman, and Pulley filed affidavits saying they planned to spend and raise no more than $1,000 on the race. The remaining Democrats had yet to file reports by 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.