By Yvonne Wenger The Baltimore Sun

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will not seek re-election in 2016.

September 11, 2015, 10:42 AM

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, beleaguered by the death of Freddie Gray and the protests and rioting that followed, announced Friday she won't seek re-election..

She said she is stepping out of the race to focus on "work to move our city forward," and not out of any concern she might not win the race against a growing field of challengers.

"It was a very difficult decision, but I knew I needed to spend time, the remaining 15 months of my term, focused on the city's future and not my own," she said at a news conference at City Hall.

Rawlings-Blake, 45, has no plans to seek another office. She briefed her Cabinet and staff on the decision this morning.