After 176 Years, Milwaukee Elects First Black Mayor

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April 6, 2022

By Keith Reed, The Root

Cavalier Johnson, 35, won the contested race in a rout.

Just six years after becoming an alderman, Cavalier Johnson is now mayor of Milwaukee. (Angela Peterson/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Milwaukee made history by choosing its first Black mayor in the city’s history on Tuesday. Voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots for Cavalier Johnson, a 35-year-old former alderman who was already serving as the city’s interim mayor.

Johnson, a Democrat, will now serve out the remaining two years of former mayor Tom Barrett, who resigned in December after 18 years in the job to become the Biden Administration’s ambassador to Luxembourg…

Johnson overwhelmed his challenger, former Milwaukee Alderman Bob Donovan, by a 72% to 28% margin.

Now he faces the challenges of governing between now and the city’s next election in 2024.

Read more about this historic midterm election on The Root.

Mayor Johnson attended the grand opening of ABHM in February and honored the 100th birthday of founder Dr. James Cameron in 2014.

Discover how more black Americans are making waves in our breaking news archive.

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