Cavalier Johnson made history Tuesday — and brought a new generation to political power at City Hall — becoming the first African American elected as Milwaukee’s mayor.
Johnson, who was born, raised and still lives on the city’s north side, overwhelmed former south side Ald. Bob Donovan in a special election to an abbreviated two-year term.
Just 35, Johnson is Milwaukee’s first millennial mayor, his triumph confirming his swift six-year rise from Common Council freshman to the seat of power in Wisconsin’s largest city.
“This city for the first time in our 176-year history has elected its first Black mayor. We did it,” Johnson told supporters at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.
Accompanied by his wife and their three children, Johnson said “we want our city to be loving, nurturing and stable. That’s why I ran for mayor.”