Johnson, Donovan Proceed To General Election In MKE Mayoral Race

MILWAUKEE, WI — Cavalier Johnson celebrated as the unofficial winner of the Milwaukee mayoral primary race on Tuesday. Johnson had 41 percent of the vote as of 9:30 p.m., data from the Milwaukee County Election Commission data showed.

Johnson and former alderman Bob Donovan are projected winners of the 2022 spring primary. Donovan trailed behind Johnson with 22 percent of the vote, election commission data showed.

"We did it, folks," Johnson said at a news conference. He outlined safety as a priority in his campaign for city mayor. "We've got a big and bold vision for Milwaukee."

Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas called Johnson and Donovan, congratulating them as they advanced in the race, WISN 12 reported.

Milwaukee Mayoral Race

Unofficial results as of 7:58 a.m. Results are from the Milwaukee County Elections Commission.

• Dimitrijevic: 7,521 votes

• Donovan: 13,742 votes

• Griffin: 315 votes

• Johnson: 25,779 votes

• Lucas: 5,886 votes

• Taylor: 7,877 votes

• Sampson: 514 votes

Seven candidates ran for the mayoral seat: Donovan, Johnson, alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, activist Ieshuh Griffin, Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, state senator Lena Taylor and businessman Michael Sampson.

This is the first Milwaukee mayoral race without former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for almost two decades: Barrett resigned in December 2021 after he was nominated the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg.

Candidates Want To Tackle Violence And Reckless Driving

Several candidates told Patch that their first priorities for issues facing Milwaukee were tackling reckless driving and violence in the city, and each of their concerns boiled down to public safety.

Johnson, the acting mayor and president of the Common Council, told Patch he would address public safety with a strategy that combined law enforcement with criminal justice reform, neighborhood healing and community engagement.

"Violence in our city is a result of generational poverty, with limited economic access for significant portions of our population. The root causes of this are economic, which is part of my long-term vision," Johnson told Patch. However, the situation at hand would need direct attention, he added.

Lucas, Milwaukee County's current sheriff, told Patch he was involved in policing efforts on expressways and in parks while in his role. "On my watch, we built and investigative bureau from scratch to take on the challenges of homicide, gun violence and human trafficking," Lucas said.

Sampson, who owns an events company that runs city events like the Shamrock Shuffle, said reckless driving was the largest issue in Milwaukee currently. He said he intends to push for red light cameras at major intersections to get people to slow down and to draw in revenue.

See Also: Milwaukee Mayor Candidates Talk Reckless Driving, COVID-19 Relief

This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Patch