Mayor Announces Reelection Bid, Kicks Off Spring 2024 Races

Mayor Cavalier Johnson at the 2023 State of the City. Photo by Sophie Bolich.

It’s official. Mayor Cavalier Johnson wants a full four-year term at the job.

Johnson, by virtue of his role as council president, became acting mayor in December 2021 following the resignation of Tom Barrett and then successfully ran in a spring election to serve out the remainder of Barrett’s term.

“When the voters elected me in April 2022, I promised that Milwaukee would be stronger in just two years,” said Johnson. “Today, as I announce for re-election I can confidently say: We Delivered.”

Johnson’s widely expected announcement kicks off a spring 2024 election cycle that will see every city office on the ballot. It also comes the day after Johnson introduced his proposed 2024 budget.

“Thanks to the historic, bipartisan work we completed in Madison, we have now secured Milwaukee’s financial future and we can once again start making investments in our city going forward,” said the mayor. “The hopes and dreams of city leaders for the last few decades are now becoming a reality, and Milwaukee can now move forward more firmly in control of our fiscal future.”

Johnson promised to get a “cot in the Capitol” to secure a revenue sharing deal with the state, and delivered. The Wisconsin State Legislature authorized a 2% city sales tax and 10% shared revenue increase, but it came with a string of conditions that council members and others have criticized. Johnson now finds the city needing to defend the new revenue, with a proposal pending in the Capitol to take $2.5 million annually from the city to pay for American Family Field upgrades. He’s also publicly pushing the Milwaukee Brewers to develop some of the “sea of parking” surrounding the ballpark to create a district that creates benefits for the city beyond game days.

If three or more candidates enter the race, a primary will be held Feb. 20. The general election is scheduled for April 2. All city offices are non-partisan.

“This upcoming race won’t just be about securing another term, it will be about securing our city’s future for all Milwaukeeans,” said Johnson. “We must continue to fight the crisis of gun violence and unsafe streets. We must restore and invest in our neighborhoods, our housing, and our infrastructure. We must create more family-supporting jobs, more union and trades jobs, and we must grow our city. This is the work I promised to do as mayor, and this is the work that must continue in order to renew our city’s bright future.”

Johnson is hosting a fundraising Wednesday evening at AN OX Cafe, 7411 W. Hampton Ave. While on the campaign trail in February 2022, the then-acting mayor visited the Hmong-owned business, which offers Asian fusion comfort food, to celebrate its grand opening and announce an economic development plan. The business is located in the Columbus Park neighborhood, which Johnson represented during his time on the Common Council.

David King Is Running For Mayor Too

Johnson already has a challenger. David King has filed initial paperwork with the Milwaukee Election Commission to run for the seat.

King most recently ran for lieutenant governor as a Republican, finishing eighth with 4.6% of the vote in an eight-way August 2022 primary. In 2020, King attempted to run for mayor but was denied ballot access for failing to submit enough valid signatures. King has run for several offices as a conservative.

Three-Way Race To Replace Borkowski

The announcement that veteran politician Mark Borkowski wasn’t running for re-election for his southwest side council seat was met with a mad dash to replace him.

There are now three candidates in the race: county supervisor Peter Burgelis, former state representative Josh Zepnick and Lee Whiting, a member of the city’s Safety and Civic Commission. Whiting was the only candidate who filed before Borkowski’s announcement.

Replacing Borkowski, the council’s defacto conservative leader and a committee chair, will certainly shake up the council’s power structure. A similar situation played out in 2020 when Marina Dimitrijevic replaced Tony Zielinski and JoCasta Zamarripa replaced Robert Donovan.

Chambers Only Incumbent To Formally File

According to information posted by the Milwaukee Election Commission, there is only one candidate who has already filed to run for re-election. Alderman Mark Chambers, Jr., first elected in a November special election for the council seat once held by Johnson, is formally running for re-election.

Most other council members are expected to file, but the deadline is still months away and there can be a strategic advantage to keeping potential opponents in a “will they or won’t they” place of uncertainty.

In addition to Chambers and the open 11th District seat, Stacy Smiter has filed to run for the 5th District seat currently held by Lamont Westmoreland, Brandon Payton has filed to run for the 6th District seat currently represented by Milele A. Coggs and Jessica Currie has filed to run for the 7th District seat currently held by Khalif Rainey.

State Representative Evan Goyke has formally filed to challenge City Attorney Tearman Spencer, but Spencer himself has yet to file.

All city officers are elected to a four-year term.