Cavalier Johnson | |
---|---|
45th Mayor of Milwaukee | |
Assumed office December 22, 2021 Acting: December 22, 2021 – April 13, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Tom Barrett |
President of the Milwaukee Common Council | |
In office April 21, 2020 – April 13, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Ashanti Hamilton |
Succeeded by | José G. Pérez |
Member of the Milwaukee Common Council from the 2nd district | |
In office April 19, 2016 – April 13, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Joe Davis, Sr. |
Succeeded by | Mark Chambers, Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | November 5, 1986 |
Political party | Democratic |
Children | 3 |
Residence(s) | Capitol Heights, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison ( BA) |
Cavalier Johnson (born November 5, 1986) [1] is an American politician and mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He recently served as Milwaukee Common Council president as well as Milwaukee's 2nd District alderman. In April 2022, Johnson won a special election, becoming the first African American to be elected mayor of Milwaukee. [2] He is the city’s second African-American mayor, following Marvin Pratt. [3]
Johnson's father worked as a custodian for more than 30 years, and his mother worked as a certified nursing assistant. He is one of 10 siblings. He grew up in Milwaukee's 53206 ZIP code, known for having the highest incarceration rate for African-American males out of any ZIP code in the country. [4]
At 14 years old, he was selected by the YMCA to participate in a pre-college program, Sponsor-A-Scholar, for low-income students in Milwaukee Public Schools. Johnson credits this for his commitment to community service. [5]
In 2005, Johnson graduated from Bay View High School. [6] As a junior, he was a cameraman for the Youth in Government press corps. [7] He continued his education after high school, attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned his bachelor's degree in political science in 2009. [5]
Johnson has served on boards at the Milwaukee YMCA, ACLU of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee Community Brainstorming. [5]
After college, Johnson worked with the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board assisting at-risk youth, youth entering the workforce for the first time, and adults retooling to enter the workforce. [5] Johnson worked as a community outreach liaison for the government of Milwaukee, where he interacted with community and faith leaders. [5]
Johnson ran for a seat on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors in a five-way special election in 2011. He finished fifth, with 171 votes. [8] In 2012, Johnson ran for a different seat on the County Board, finishing sixth out of seven candidates, with 106 votes. [8]
In 2016, Johnson ran for 2nd District Alderman on the Milwaukee Common Council, winning a five-way primary with 38 percent of the vote and winning the general election with 4,307 votes (52 percent). [8] In 2018, Johnson was the lead sponsor to ban fee-based conversion therapy of minors in Milwaukee. [9]
Johnson was re-elected without opposition in 2020, [8] and he was also elected by his peers, in an 8–7 vote, to serve as the Milwaukee Common Council President. [4] [10]
Johnson became acting mayor of Milwaukee upon the resignation of Tom Barrett—who was set to become Ambassador to Luxembourg—on December 22, 2021. [11] He served as acting mayor until the 2022 Milwaukee mayoral special election, [12] a race in which Johnson was a candidate. [13] The day before assuming the role, Johnson announced that his top priority would be combating reckless driving to create safe streets. [14] [6] On April 5, 2022, Johnson won the special election, becoming the first elected African-American mayor of Milwaukee. [2] While Johnson is the first elected black mayor of Milwaukee, he is the city's second black mayor, after Marvin Pratt, who served as acting mayor in 2004. [15] [3]
Johnson lives in Milwaukee's Capitol Heights neighborhood. He is married and has three children. [8]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nonpartisan Special Primary, February 15, 2022 [16] | |||||
Nonpartisan | Cavalier Johnson (incumbent) | 25,779 | 41.79% | ||
Nonpartisan | Bob Donovan | 13,742 | 22.28% | ||
Nonpartisan | Lena Taylor | 7,877 | 12.77% | -17.92% | |
Nonpartisan | Marina Dimitrijevic | 7,521 | 12.19% | ||
Nonpartisan | Earnell Lucas | 5,886 | 9.53% | ||
Nonpartisan | Michael Sampson | 514 | 0.83% | ||
Nonpartisan | Ieshuh Griffin | 315 | 0.51% | ||
Write-in | 56 | 0.09% | -0.68% | ||
Total votes | 61,743 | 100.00% | -6.94% | ||
Special Election, April 5, 2022 [16] [17] [18] | |||||
Nonpartisan | Cavalier Johnson (incumbent) | 62,143 | 71.51% | ||
Nonpartisan | Bob Donovan | 24,543 | 28.24% | ||
Write-in | 215 | 0.25% | -0.68% | ||
Plurality | 37,600 | 43.27% | +17.24% | ||
Total votes | 86,901 | 100.00% | -5.45% |