Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson became the first black mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after winning the special mayoral election Tuesday night.
Johnson, 35, became the city’s acting mayor after former Mayor Tom Barrett accepted President Joe Biden’s nomination as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg last December. Johnson will serve the remaining two years of Barrett’s term.
“This city for the first time in our 176-year history has elected its first black mayor. We did it,” Johnson told supporters in his victory speech. “I want to thank the men and the women who paved the way for me to be victorious on this stage tonight, I’m talking about the trailblazers in Milwaukee’s African American community, elected and not elected, who walked the long trek so that I could both run as well as win.”
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Johnson is the city’s only new mayor in 18 years, as Barrett has served in the role since 2004. Prior to the special election, Johnson was elected to the city council in 2016 and served as its president since 2020.
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Johnson defeated former Milwaukee Alderman Bob Donovan with 68% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. The votes will be finalized Friday after provisional ballots are counted. Donovan had served as an alderman of the city for 20 years from 2000-2020.
In 2016, Donovan attempted to dethrone Barrett but lost by over 40 points.
