Mayoral Race Includes At Least Seven Joint Appearances, Two Debates

Voters will get plenty of opportunities to see mayoral candidates Robert Donovan and Cavalier Johnson in advance of the April 5 election. The former alderman and acting mayor are scheduled to make at least seven joint appearances on the campaign trail.

Notably, the two will participate in televised debates on March 18 and 27.

The events will give the public a chance to hear directly from the candidates, often with the presence of a moderator. The two took part in a series of forums leading up to the primary election on Feb. 15, but the seven-candidate field limited both the amount of time each candidate could speak and the ability for follow-up questions.

The next upcoming appearance for the candidates is the Common Ground Southeastern Wisconsin mayoral forum on Sunday, March 13 at 3 p.m. It’s the start of a four-day stretch of joint appearances. The event will be held at St. Mark AME Church, 1616 W. Atkinson Ave. They’ll then meet the following day, March 14, at 12:30 p.m. at the Italian Community Center for a forum hosted by the Greater Milwaukee Committee and Wisconsin Policy Forum. The Wisconsin Black Media Association is hosting a forum on March 15 at 6 p.m. The four-day run concludes with an evening forum hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on March 16.

WISN-TV is hosting a televised debate on March 18 at 7 p.m. A partnership of TMJ4, Newsradio 620 WTMJ, Marquette University and WisPolitics will also host a televised debate on March 27 at 6 p.m.

The final scheduled joint appearance is planned for March 30 at a forum hosted by Milwaukee PBS, WUWM and CBS58.

Johnson, 35, became acting mayor on Dec. 22 following the resignation of Tom Barrett. He was first elected to the Common Council in 2016 and became council president in 2020 after being reelected.

“Our campaign over the next 49 days is to take our city in a new direction,” said Johnson at a campaign event held at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino the night of the primary. “The top priority is to make our city safer… the fear in our hearts needs to end now.”

“I am not someone who has learned what Milwaukee’s are, I have lived these challenges,” said the acting mayor. “As we look ahead, we need to invest in all the things that make our city stronger, safer and more prosperous.”

Donovan, 65, was first elected to the council in 2000, but decided not to run for reelection in 2020. He ran against Barrett in 2016 and lost, only picking up 30% of the vote.

“My comments tonight will be brief and to the point. I’m running for mayor of the city of Milwaukee for three major reasons: Safer streets, better schools and good jobs,” Donovan said at his campaign event at McKiernan’s Irish Pub, 2066 S. 37th St.