Tapp-Harper takes strong lead in Baltimore City sheriff’s race

Sabrina Tapp-Harper built an 11-point lead over incumbent Sam Cogen in Baltimore City’s Democratic primary for sheriff, a margin of more than 4,800 votes with 99 percent of precincts reporting. With no Republican filed for the office, the primary is effectively the deciding race.

That outcome matters because the sheriff’s office is not just a badge-and-gun agency. The Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office says its Court Security Division protects the Baltimore City Circuit Court by guarding judges, maintaining order in the courthouse, screening visitors for weapons or contraband, and transporting prisoners to and from court. Its Special Operations Division serves criminal warrants issued by the circuit court, and the office says sheriff’s deputies are sworn law-enforcement officers who serve court-related documents ranging from eviction orders to arrest warrants.

Tapp-Harper’s challenge to Cogen carried a political and legal backdrop that has shadowed the race for months. She filed a federal lawsuit in August 2024 alleging wrongful termination and retaliation after Cogen took office. A U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland opinion issued in August 2025 dismissed most of her claims but allowed the retaliation claim to proceed. Court records say Tapp-Harper joined the sheriff’s office as a deputy sheriff major in January 2014, settled an earlier EEO complaint in August 2022, and was promoted to assistant sheriff as part of that settlement. Those records also show Cogen was sworn in on November 30, 2022, and Tapp-Harper was placed on administrative leave that same day.

The race also drew unusually heavy spending for a relatively small office. Campaign finance reports showed Cogen spent nearly $126,000 in the last reporting cycle, while Tapp-Harper spent roughly a third as much. City Democrats and unions split their endorsements, turning a low-profile courthouse post into a contest over leadership, workplace culture and who controls the office’s daily relationship with Baltimore’s courts.

Tapp-Harper’s background gave the challenge added weight. She worked in law enforcement for four decades and rose through Baltimore Police leadership before entering the sheriff’s race. She also described herself in campaign coverage earlier this year as a retired Baltimore Police commander and said she previously served as assistant sheriff under John Anderson, who held the office for more than three decades before Cogen defeated him in the 2022 Democratic primary. If the lead holds, Baltimore will have a new sheriff, with control over courthouse security, warrant service and the way the office handles eviction enforcement likely to shift with it.