Cavalier Johnson
2022 - Present
2028
2
Cavalier Johnson (also known as Chevy) is the Mayor of Milwaukee in Wisconsin. He assumed office on April 13, 2022. His current term ends on April 18, 2028.
Johnson ran for re-election for Mayor of Milwaukee in Wisconsin. He won in the general election on April 2, 2024.
Johnson began serving as the common council president in 2020. As common council president, Johnson automatically became the acting mayor of Milwaukee on December 22, 2021, after Mayor Tom Barrett resigned. He served as acting mayor until he was elected to the position in a special election on April 5, 2022.[1][2]
Milwaukee has nonpartisan municipal elections. Johnson is a Democrat.[3]
Biography
Cavalier Johnson graduated from Bay View High School. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2009. His career experience includes working as a staff assistant to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a contract monitor and youth specialist with the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, interim support for Collegiate Services with YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, and a program manager with the North Avenue Community Development Corporation.[4][5][6]
Elections
2024
See also: Mayoral election in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2024)
General election
General election for Mayor of Milwaukee
Incumbent Cavalier Johnson defeated David King in the general election for Mayor of Milwaukee on April 2, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Cavalier Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 81.0 | 64,539 |
 | David King (Nonpartisan) | 18.4 | 14,639 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 523 | ||
| Total votes: 79,701 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Milwaukee
Incumbent Cavalier Johnson and David King defeated Ieshuh Griffin in the primary for Mayor of Milwaukee on February 20, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cavalier Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 86.7 | 26,798 |
| ✔ | | David King (Nonpartisan) | 9.8 | 3,018 |
 | Ieshuh Griffin (Nonpartisan) | 3.5 | 1,094 | |
| Total votes: 30,910 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Johnson in this election.
2022
See also: Mayoral election in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2022)
General election
Special general election for Mayor of Milwaukee
Incumbent Cavalier Johnson defeated Robert Donovan in the special general election for Mayor of Milwaukee on April 5, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cavalier Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 71.5 | 62,143 |
 | Robert Donovan (Nonpartisan) | 28.2 | 24,543 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 215 | ||
| Total votes: 86,901 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Milwaukee
The following candidates ran in the special primary for Mayor of Milwaukee on February 15, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cavalier Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 41.8 | 25,779 |
| ✔ | | Robert Donovan (Nonpartisan) | 22.3 | 13,742 |
 | Lena Taylor (Nonpartisan) | 12.8 | 7,877 | |
 | Marina Dimitrijevic (Nonpartisan) | 12.2 | 7,521 | |
| Earnell Lucas (Nonpartisan) | 9.5 | 5,886 | |
| Michael Sampson (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 514 | |
| Ieshuh Griffin (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 315 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 56 | ||
| Total votes: 61,690 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020
See also: City elections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2020)
General election
General election for Milwaukee Common Council District 2
Incumbent Cavalier Johnson won election in the general election for Milwaukee Common Council District 2 on April 7, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cavalier Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 98.9 | 4,055 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 45 | ||
| Total votes: 4,100 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, held elections for mayor and city council on April 5, 2016. A primary election took place on February 16, 2016. All 15 city council seats were up for election. Chevy Johnson defeated Sherman Morton in the Milwaukee City Council District 2 general election.[7]
| Milwaukee City Council District 2, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Chevy Johnson |
52.12% | 4,583 |
| Sherman Morton | 47.32% | 4,161 |
| Write-in votes | 0.57% | 50 |
| Total Votes | 8,794 | |
| Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 | ||
| Milwaukee City Council District 2, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Chevy Johnson |
38.03% | 1,436 |
| Sherman Morton |
23.33% | 881 |
| Larresa Taylor | 15.36% | 580 |
| Keith Bailey | 11.84% | 447 |
| Tracey Dent | 11.04% | 417 |
| Write-in votes | 0.4% | 15 |
| Total Votes | 3,776 | |
| Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 | ||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cavalier Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Cavalier Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Cavalier Johnson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Johnson participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I want to work at closing the employment gap in Milwaukee by connecting residents in the city with job opportunities available in the metro area.[4][8] | ” |
When asked what he would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Milwaukee is synonymous with segregation. I'd like for us to get past that.[4][8] | ” |
When asked what he is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I'm proud that my fellow Milwaukeeans love our city. Time may be tough but the people who live here have a unique attachment to the city and want to see it succeed.[4][8] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Crime reduction/prevention | |
| Unemployment | |
| K-12 education | |
| Transportation | |
| Homelessness | |
| Civil rights | |
| Housing | |
| Recreational opportunities | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
| Environment | |
| Government transparency | |
| Public pensions/retirement funds | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| State | |
| Increased economic opportunities | |
| Focusing on small business development |
Johnson's campaign website highlighted the following campaign themes:[9]
Public safety
- Excerpt: "By partnering with block watches, neighborhood groups, City agencies, and the Milwaukee Police Department, we can bring residents closer together, improve communication, and create stronger neighborhoods for everyone who calls the Second District home."
Infrastructure
- Excerpt: "Between our humid summers and our blistering winters, Milwaukee’s streets and sewers take a beating. We can’t change our climate but we can change how we invest our infrastructure dollars to ensure that these public amenities are not only functional for our neighborhoods, but that they also improve the quality of life for residents of the Second District."
Economic development
- Excerpt: "With our city positioned as the global leader in water technology, we are redefining ourself every day. I want to continue Milwaukee’s tradition of being a city of builders and innovators so together, we can create a new economic backbone for our city."
Accountability
- Excerpt: "I’ll always bring the news to you as I promise to host at least four quarterly Town Hall meetings throughout the Second District each year."
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Mayor of Milwaukee |
Officeholder Mayor of Milwaukee |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Milwaukee Common Council, "Alderman Cavalier Johnson Biography," accessed January 6, 2022
- ↑ Milwaukee Independent, "Common Council President Cavalier Johnson Becomes Acting Mayor of Milwaukee Just Before Christmas," December 24, 2022
- ↑ Urban Milwaukee, "Johnson Ceremonially Sworn In As Mayor," December 23, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Cavalier "Chevy" Johnson's Responses," February 9, 2016
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Cavalier Johnson," accessed May 2, 2022
- ↑ City of Milwaukee, "About Mayor Johnson," accessed May 2, 2022
- ↑ City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Election Candidates," January 8, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Chevy Johnson campaign website, "What We Stand For," accessed February 11, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cavalier Johnson |
Mayor of Milwaukee 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Tom Barrett |
Mayor of Milwaukee 2021-2022 |
Succeeded by Cavalier Johnson |
| Preceded by - |
Milwaukee Common Council District 2 2016-2022 |
Succeeded by Mark Chambers Jr. |
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