Acting Milwaukee mayor, former alderman advance in primary

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — The acting Milwaukee mayor and a longtime former alderman will face off in the mayoral general election in April.

They were the two who generated the most votes in a field of seven during Tuesday’s primary.

The race contrasts Cavalier Johnson, a millennial Democrat who was first elected as a Milwaukee alderman in 2016 against Bob Donovan, a conservative who spent 20 years as an alderman representing the city’s south side.

Johnson received 42% of the vote to Donovan’s 22% according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary, the Journal Sentinel reported.

The winner of the April 5 election will fill the remaining two years on the term left open by former Mayor Tom Barrett who resigned to become U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.

Barrett served as mayor from 2004 to 2021.

Johnson said his top priority will be to make Milwaukee safer, citing the increase in gun violence. Donovan said his campaign was about “safer streets, better schools and good jobs.”