Cavalier Johnson

Cavalier Johnson
45th Mayor of Milwaukee
Assumed office
December 22, 2021
Acting: December 22, 2021 – April 13, 2022
Preceded byTom Barrett
President of the Milwaukee Common Council
In office
April 21, 2020 – April 13, 2022
Preceded byAshanti Hamilton
Succeeded byJosé G. Pérez
Member of the Milwaukee Common Council from the 2nd district
In office
April 19, 2016 – April 13, 2022
Preceded byJoe Davis, Sr.
Succeeded byMark Chambers, Jr.
Personal details
Born (1986-11-05) November 5, 1986 (age 36)
Political partyDemocratic
Children3
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison (BA)

Cavalier Johnson (born November 5, 1986) 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 elected mayor of Milwaukee. He is the city’s second African American mayor.

Early life and education

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 of African American males out of any ZIP code in the country.

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.

In 2005, Johnson graduated from Bay View High School. As a junior, he was a cameraman for the Youth in Government press corps. 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.

Johnson has served on boards at the Milwaukee YMCA, ACLU of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee Community Brainstorming.

Career

Johnson announcing Milwaukee as the host of the 2024 Republican National Convention

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. Johnson worked as a community outreach liaison for the government of Milwaukee where he interacted with community and faith leaders.

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. In 2012, Johnson ran for a different seat on the County Board, finishing sixth out of seven candidates with 106 votes.

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). In 2018, Johnson was the lead sponsor to ban fee-based conversion therapy of minors in Milwaukee.

Johnson was re-elected without opposition in 2020 and was also elected by his peers in a 8–7 vote to serve as the Milwaukee Common Council President.

Johnson became acting mayor of Milwaukee upon the resignation of Tom Barrett—who was set to become Ambassador to Luxembourg—on December 22, 2021. He served as acting mayor until the 2022 Milwaukee mayoral special election, a race in which Johnson was a candidate. The day before assuming the role, Johnson announced his top priority would be combating reckless driving to create safe streets. On April 5, 2022, Johnson won the special election, becoming the first elected African-American mayor of Milwaukee. While Johnson is the first elected Black mayor of Milwaukee, he is the second Black mayor after Marvin Pratt, who served as acting mayor in 2004.

Personal life

Johnson lives in Milwaukee's Capitol Heights neighborhood. He is married and has three children.

Electoral history

Milwaukee Mayoral Special Election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Special Primary, February 15, 2022
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
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%

This page was last updated at 2023-08-19 12:41 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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