Cavalier Johnson will be Milwaukee's next mayor

MILWAUKEE — Cavalier Johnson will be the next Mayor of Milwaukee with 67.53% percent of the vote, TMJ4 News projects from initial results Tuesday night.

Former Ald. Bob Donovan has received 32.47% percent of the vote, according to initial results.

TMJ4

• Get live election results here

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• Mayoral candidates debate city's most pressing issues
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• Johnson, Donovan advance to general election for mayor

"I hope that all the black and brown boys and girls who wake up tomorrow, and they get ready for school - they do so knowing that we have shown here today - that no matter where you live, or how much or how little your parents make, and no matter the color of your skin - that in Milwaukee, there’s a place for you too," Johnson said Tuesday night after his win.

Johnson currently serves as Acting Milwaukee Mayor, a position he has held since former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett resigned from the position in December to become the next U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg.

Johnson has represented District 2 in the Milwaukee Common Council since 2016. He won reelection in 2020 and fellow council members chose him to become Common Council President. In Milwaukee, when a mayor resigns, the person who serves as Council President becomes Acting Mayor until an election selects a new mayor.

Donovan served as Milwaukee alderman representing District 8 for 20 years before retiring in 2020. He faced off against Tom Barrett in the 2016 mayoral race and lost with just under 30 percent of the vote, compared to Barrett's 70 percent.

In the primary election, Johnson secured 42 percent of votes while Donovan secured 22 percent of votes.

Johnson will now serve as mayor for the remaining two years of Barrett's term.

This is a developing story and will be updated shortly.

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