CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Former Cambridge Mayor Andrew Bradshaw announced Friday evening that he wants his old job back, filing to run for the city's top job.
Bradshaw was first elected in 2020, but resigned in January of 2022 after being arrested on 'revenge porn' charges.
Bradshaw pleaded guilty to 5 counts of distributing revenge porn. He faced 50 charges total. As part of the plea deal, Bradshaw spent no time behind bars, but was set to be on supervised probation for three years. He was also required to pay a more than 5,000 fine and perform community service.
According to court records, Bradshaw is still serving unsupervised probation.
The charging documents showed that Bradshaw posted nude photographs of VICTIM-1, captioned with racial slurs including the N word on “Reddit." Prosecutors said at the time Bradshaw disseminated the images without the knowledge or consent of VICTIM-1, and with the intent to harm her.
In his campaign announcement, Bradshaw said "I will prove, with the aid and support of the people of Cambridge, that this second act will be more successful and more meaningful for this City and the people who call it home than the first."
He continued “My objective is to get Cambridge Back to Business. That requires active leadership that sets attainable goals and maintains the focus required to accomplish them."
Speaking to WBOC on Monday, Bradshaw addressed the controversy and his original departure,
“I think when people face adversity that’s when they find out who they truly are and how they can move forward. There was a great deal of regret for how things happened - now I’m stronger and a bit wiser, and able to move forward and provide the leadership Cambridge needs.”
When asked about the use of the N-word, Bradshaw said he was not able to comment,
“I’m not getting into any details with regards to the charges, with the agreement I have with the state, that’s not what I’m going to be doing.”
Bradshaw added he felt a great deal of encouragement to seek re-election, and that he wants to focus on issues like crime, economic development, waterfront development, housing, and more. Noting he wants to finish initiative's he began during his tenure that he says stagnated following his exit,
"With the level of support I received prior to making an announcement, and people reaching out hoping I would do so, I thought I had a responsibility to them to at least give them the ability to make that choice," he said.
Bradshaw will face a familiar face on the ballot. Cambridge City Commission President Lajan Cephas and former Commissioner La-Shon Foster are vying for the Mayor's office as well. Cephas served alongside Bradshaw and became the city's Acting Mayor upon Bradshaw's resignation.
Cephas faced her own legal challenges, after being charged with second degree assault in a domestic dispute. The charge was later dropped.
The election in Cambridge's race for Mayor is set for October 19. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a runoff election will take place in December.
