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2020 Milwaukee mayoral election

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2020 Milwaukee mayoral election
← 2016 February 18, 2020 (primary)
April 7, 2020 (general)		 2022 (special) →
Turnout30.99%
 
Candidate Tom Barrett Lena Taylor
Popular vote 57,492 33,572
Percentage 62.55% 36.87%
Mayor before election

Tom Barrett
Democratic

Elected mayor

Tom Barrett
Democratic

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The 2020 Milwaukee mayoral election was held on Tuesday, April 7, 2020,[1] concurrent with Wisconsin's Spring general election and presidential preference primary. Incumbent mayor Tom Barrett won his fifth four-year term as mayor of Milwaukee, receiving 62% of the vote against state senator Lena Taylor.

Municipal elections in Wisconsin are non-partisan, but both general election candidates in this case were members of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. A non-partisan primary was held on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, in which the top two vote-getters advanced to the April general election.[1]

This election was also significantly affected by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin.[2]

Primary election

[edit]

Candidates

[edit]

On ballot

[edit]
Write-in candidates
[edit]
  • David D. King,[15] candidate for District 9 Milwaukee city councilor in 2016 [16]
  • Ramone Williams[15]

Withdrawn or rejected

[edit]
  • Daniel Crowley[3][17][18]
  • Theresa Garner[3][17]
  • David D. King,[3][17] candidate for District 9 Milwaukee city councilor in 2016[16] subsequently ran as write-in
  • Tremell Noble,[3][17] applicant to fill the Milwaukee County Sheriff vacancy in 2017[19]
  • Ramone Williams[3][17][20] subsequently ran as write-in

Declined

[edit]

Endorsements

[edit]
Tom Barrett
Newspapers
Organizations
Tony Zielinski
Individuals
  • Alexander Ayala, former president of the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers’ Association[26][27]
  • Dale Boremann Jr., president of the Milwaukee Police Association[26]
  • Danilo Cardenas, president of the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization[26]
  • Jerome Smith, pastor[26]
  • Ray Vahey, community activist[26]
  • Steve Williams, co-founder and publisher of the Blue Book Milwaukee[26]
Organizations

Polls

[edit]
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Tom
Barrett 		Paul
Rasky 		Lena
Taylor 		Tony
Zielinski 		Other Undecided
Remington Research Group[29] November 2019 41% – 22% 22% – 15%
Hypothetical polling
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Tom
Barrett 		Ashanti
Hamilton 		Tony
Zielinski 		Undecided
Remington Research Group[30] December 3–4, 2018 889 ± 3.3% 42% 19% 23% 16%

Results

[edit]
2020 Milwaukee mayoral primary[15]
Candidate Votes %
Tom Barrett (incumbent) 33,151 50.01%
Lena Taylor 20,347 30.69%
T. Anthony Zielinski 10,385 15.67%
Paul Rasky 1,902 2.87%
David D. King (write-in) 225 0.34%
Ramone Williams (write-in) 10 0.02%
Others (write-in) 274 0.41%
Total votes 66,294 100%

General election

[edit]

A general election was held April 7 between Tom Barrett and Lena Taylor.[31]

Barret's campaign was largely focused on his track record.[32] Taylor challenged his track record, arguing that people of color had not sufficiently benefited from during tenure.[33]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

[edit]
See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics § Wisconsin, and 2020 Wisconsin elections § Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

On March 23, citing concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Mayor Barrett sent a letter to Governor Tony Evers, State Senate Majority Leader Scott L. Fitzgerald and Speaker of the State House Robin Vos, requesting that the April 7 elections (including the mayoral election, as well as Wisconsin's presidential primaries and others races) be conducted using mail-in ballots only.[34]

City officials urged voters not to vote in person and to instead vote by mail with absentee ballots.[35] On March 31, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Neil Albrecht announced that rather than the usual 180 voting sites, the election will instead have only between ten and twelve in-person voting sites.[35][36] This was due to a severe lack of poll workers.[37] By April 3, the number of in-person polling places was further reduced to only five.[38] Ultimately, 96,712 absentee ballots were requested, and 77,729 were returned (it is not yet reported how many are valid).[39]

On April 1, Judge William M. Conley ruled that, due to the circumstances of the elections, absentee ballots would be allowed to be returned until April 13, despite the elections taking place on April 7.[40] Days after, the Republican National Committee urged the Supreme Court of the United States to block this ruling.[41] He also removed the requirement for ballots to have witness signatures, citing difficulties with regards to individuals living alone during the stay-at-home order being unable to find a witness.[42] The Supreme Court of the United States, on April 6, overturned Conley's ruling, meaning that all absentee ballots must be turned in by the election day, and ballots without witness signatures would be invalidated.[42][43] However, the Supreme Court of the United States did not overturn Conley's ruling that results would not be reported until April 13.[44]

Governor Evers, in early April, urged the state legislature to postpone the April 7 elections in Wisconsin. However, the legislature did not take the action to do this.[41] Despite admitting that he would violate the law by doing so,[45] on April 6, Evers issued an executive order which, if enforced, would have postponed the April 7 elections until the tentative date of June 7.[46] Republican leaders immediately announced that they would challenge the order in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[46] The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Evers did not have the authority to postpone the elections, thus meaning that Evers' executive order was nullified, and that the elections would be held as scheduled on April 7.[47]

On April 4, Lena Taylor filed a lawsuit attempting to get the mayoral election moved to September 8.[48]

By the time the Election Day voting concluded, Milwaukee Election Commissioner Neil Albrecht stated that despite some of the problems, the in-person voting ran smoothly.[49]

Candidates

[edit]

Endorsements

[edit]
Tom Barrett
Officeholders
Individuals
Newspapers
Organizations

Polls

[edit]
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Tom
Barrett 		Lena
Taylor 		Undecided
Remington Research Group[29] November 2019 – – 51% 27% 22%
Hypothetical polling
Hamilton vs. Zielinski
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Ashanti
Hamilton 		Tony
Zielinski 		Undecided
Remington Research Group[30] December 3–4, 2018 889 ± 3.3% 39% 34% 27%

Results

[edit]

77,729 mail-in ballots were returned, and 18,803 in-person votes were cast in the city of Milwaukee.[39][53][54]

2020 Milwaukee mayoral general election[55]
Candidate Votes %
Tom Barrett (incumbent) 57,492 62.55%
Lena Taylor 33,572 36.52%
Others (write-in) 852 0.93%
Total votes 91,916 100%

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Upcoming Election Dates". City of Milwaukee. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  2. ^ Dirr, Alison (April 13, 2020). "Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett easily wins reelection in race against Lena Taylor". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dirr, Alison (November 20, 2019). "Tom Barrett announces run for fifth term as Milwaukee mayor". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "'We are stronger together:' Tom Barrett seeks 5th term as mayor in 2020". WITI. November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "CITY OF MILWAUKEE ELECTION COMMISSION 2020 SPRING ELECTION CANDIDATES" (PDF). City of Milwaukee Election Commission. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Dirr, Alison (July 15, 2019). "Mayor Tom Barrett leads competitors by significant margin in campaign fundraising". Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Dirr, Alison (September 3, 2019). "State Sen. Lena Taylor announces 2020 challenge to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Kauzlarich, Mark (September 5, 2019). "Milwaukee Senator declares mayoral candidacy for 2020 election". The Daily Cardinal. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Deprey, Dylan (September 7, 2019). "Sen. Lena Taylor Tosses Her Bid into the Ring for 2020 Milwaukee Mayor". Milwaukee Courier. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Jannene, Jeramey (September 3, 2019). "Lena Taylor Announces Run for Mayor". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  11. ^ a b c Kirchen, Rich (September 3, 2019). "Sen. Lena Taylor announces challenge to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett". Milwaukee Business Journal. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Cullerton, Brendan (May 20, 2019). "Lena Taylor considers run for Milwaukee Mayor". CBS58. WDJT-TV. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  13. ^ Hrody, Matt (April 4, 2018). "BAY VIEW'S ALDERMAN, TONY ZIELINSKI, IS OFF TO A RUNNING START ON HIS QUEST TO BECOME MAYOR". Milwaukee Magazine. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  14. ^ Spicuzza, Mary; Bice, Daniel (November 28, 2018). "Milwaukee Ald. Tony Zielinski to launch 2020 mayoral run Wednesday". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  15. ^ a b c "Latest Election Results". city.milwaukee.gov. City of Milwaukee. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  16. ^ a b "David King (Wisconsin)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d e "CITY OF MILWAUKEE ELECTION COMMISSION 2020 SPRING ELECTION CANDIDATES" (PDF). City of Milwaukee Election Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Bayatpour, A.J. (January 25, 2017). ""We can't take it anymore:" Piles of trash, equipment on city property spark complaints from neighbors". WITI. Fox6 Now. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  19. ^ Brumbaugh, Jocelyn (October 10, 2017). "Watch the top trailers for movies coming out this weekend". WISN. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  20. ^ Salgado, Beck Andrew (November 12, 2019). "Ramone Williams mayor campaign provides voice for people of Milwaukee". Marquette Wire. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  21. ^ Spicuzza, Mary (January 16, 2019). "Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett leads challengers in fundraising for 2020 race". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  22. ^ Handelman, Ben (November 28, 2018). "'1st step:' Ashanti Hamilton files paperwork that would allow him to run for mayor". Fox6Now. WITI. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  23. ^ Jannene, Jeramey (September 12, 2019). "Ashanti Hamilton Ends Mayoral Bid". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  24. ^ a b "Vote Tom Barrett for Milwaukee Mayor in the February 2020 Primary Election". Shepherd Express. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  25. ^ a b "GWG Endorses Tom Barrett in February 18 Primary". Sierra Club. January 19, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h "Endorsements". Tony for Milwaukee Mayor. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  27. ^ a b c d "Milwaukee County Deputy Sheriffs' Association Endorse Alderman Tony Zielinski for Mayor". Urban Milwaukee. December 17, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  28. ^ Dirr, Alison (January 7, 2020). "Top Milwaukee races headed for primaries in February". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  29. ^ a b Murphy, Bruce (November 12, 2019). "Back in the News: Poll Shows Barrett Way Ahead". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Bice, Daniel (December 11, 2018). "Bice: Mayor Tom Barrett sees his numbers slip but still leads two potential foes by wide margin, poll shows". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  31. ^ Dirr, Alison (February 18, 2020). "State Sen. Lena Taylor to square off against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in April election". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  32. ^ Cullerton, Brendan (April 13, 2020). "Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett wins fifth term". CBS58. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  33. ^ Dirr, Alison (April 2, 2020). "Tom Barrett, Lena Taylor square off in Tuesday's election for Milwaukee mayor". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  34. ^ "Milwaukee mayor suggests April 7 election be modified to 'vote by mail'". FOX6Now.com. WITI. March 24, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  35. ^ a b Johnson, Martin (April 1, 2020). "Milwaukee mayor says he hopes people don't go to polls during coronavirus pandemic". The Hill. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  36. ^ Dirr, Alison (March 31, 2020). "Milwaukee normally has 180 voting sites; because of coronavirus, fewer than 12 polling places will be open April 7". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  37. ^ Glauber, Bill (March 30, 2020). "Milwaukee mayoral candidates held separate virtual forums but still clashed over coronavirus and the election". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  38. ^ "Milwaukee IDs 5 in-person voting centers for election day, expands weekend drive-up hours". FOX6Now.com. WITI. April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  39. ^ a b "City of Milwaukee Election Commission". city.milwaukee.gov. City of Milwaukee Election Commission. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  40. ^ Korecki, Natasha; Montellaro, Zach (April 4, 2020). "Wisconsin's primary to go forward Tuesday even as coronavirus all but shutters the U.S." Politico. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  41. ^ a b Marley, Bill Glauber and Patrick. "Wisconsin Republicans reject governor's move to postpone Tuesday election". USA Today. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  42. ^ a b "Hundreds of Milwaukee votes invalidated in absentee confusion". WKBT. April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  43. ^ "Supreme Court blocks extended absentee voting in Wisconsin primary". Channel3000.com. April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  44. ^ Carson, Sophie. "Who won Wisconsin's election? Results won't be released until Monday". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  45. ^ Governor Evers Tweet April 1 2020
  46. ^ a b Eric Bradner and Kate Sullivan (April 6, 2020). "Wisconsin governor orders delay of primary election until June". CNN. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  47. ^ "Wisconsin Supreme Court rules Evers cannot postpone election". WISN. Associated Press. April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  48. ^ "Mayoral candidate Lena Taylor sues to move election". WISN. April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  49. ^ Milwaukee Election Chief: Despite Some Issues, In-Person Voting Went Smoothly
  50. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Endorsements". Tom Barrett. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  51. ^ "Barrett campaign: Sen. Herb Kohl endorses Tom Barrett for Mayor of Milwaukee | WisPolitics.com". Wisconsin Politics. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  52. ^ Campaign, Human Rights (March 16, 2020). "HRC Endorses Mayor Tom Barrett for Reelection". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  53. ^ "Election day blog recap: Milwaukee releases Tuesday's voter turnout; late lines after polls closed". USA Today. April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  54. ^ "City of Milwaukee Election Commission". city.milwaukee.gov. City of Milwaukee Election Commission. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  55. ^ "Latest Election Results". city.milwaukee.gov. Milwaukee Election Commission. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
[edit]
Official campaign websites
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