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City elections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2020)

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2021
2019
2020 Milwaukee elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: January 7, 2020
Primary election: February 18, 2020
General election: April 7, 2020
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor, city attorney, city comptroller, city treasurer, and all fifteen common council members
Total seats up: 19 (click here for mayoral elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2020

The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, held general elections for mayor, city attorney, city comptroller, city treasurer, and all fifteen common council members on April 7, 2020. A primary was scheduled for February 18, 2020. The filing deadline for this election was January 7, 2020.

Milwaukee is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. For information on 2020 elections in Milwaukee County, click here.

Click here to learn more about the city's mayoral election. Click here to learn more about the city treasurer election.

The Wisconsin Election Commission voted unanimously to send absentee/mail-in ballot applications automatically to most registered voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Wisconsin modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: Absentee and mail-in ballot applications were sent to most registered voters in the general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

City attorney

General election

General election for Milwaukee City Attorney

Tearman Spencer defeated incumbent Grant F. Langley in the general election for Milwaukee City Attorney on April 7, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Tearman Spencer (Nonpartisan)
 
61.1
 
50,688
Grant F. Langley (Nonpartisan)
 
38.6
 
31,987
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
277

Total votes: 82,952
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Milwaukee City Attorney

Tearman Spencer and incumbent Grant F. Langley defeated Vincent J. Bobot in the primary for Milwaukee City Attorney on February 18, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Tearman Spencer (Nonpartisan)
 
39.3
 
23,597
Grant F. Langley (Nonpartisan)
 
32.5
 
19,516
Vincent J. Bobot (Nonpartisan)
 
27.5
 
16,480
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
417

Total votes: 60,010
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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City comptroller

General election

General election for Milwaukee City Comptroller

Aycha Sawa defeated Jason Fields in the general election for Milwaukee City Comptroller on April 7, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Aycha Sawa
Aycha Sawa (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
50.4
 
41,298
Image of Jason Fields
Jason Fields (Nonpartisan)
 
49.2
 
40,300
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
347

Total votes: 81,945
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Milwaukee City Comptroller

Jason Fields and Aycha Sawa defeated Alex Brower in the primary for Milwaukee City Comptroller on February 18, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jason Fields
Jason Fields (Nonpartisan)
 
43.0
 
25,305
Image of Aycha Sawa
Aycha Sawa (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
30.4
 
17,913
Image of Alex Brower
Alex Brower (Nonpartisan)
 
25.9
 
15,248
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
412

Total votes: 58,878
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

City treasurer

General election

General election for Milwaukee City Treasurer

Incumbent Spencer Coggs defeated Brandon Methu in the general election for Milwaukee City Treasurer on April 7, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Spencer Coggs
Spencer Coggs (Nonpartisan)
 
66.8
 
55,722
Image of Brandon Methu
Brandon Methu (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
32.9
 
27,450
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
248

Total votes: 83,420
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Common Council

Milwaukee Common Council general (April 7, 2020)

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Candidates
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngAshanti Hamilton (i)
Vincent G. Toney 
District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngCavalier Johnson (i)
District 3

Green check mark transparent.pngNik Kovac (i)
Jacob Marek  Candidate Connection
District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Bauman (i)
District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngNikiya Harris Dodd (i)
Nick McVey 
District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngMilele Coggs (i)
Tory Lowe 
District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngKhalif Rainey (i)
Fred Royal 
District 8

Justin Bielinski  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngJoCasta Zamarripa 
District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngChantia Lewis (i)
District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Murphy (i)
Richard Geldon 
District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Borkowski (i)
Peter Burgelis  Candidate Connection
District 12

Green check mark transparent.pngJose Perez (i)
District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngScott Spiker (i)
Patty Doherty 
District 14

Jason Auerbach 
Green check mark transparent.pngMarina Dimitrijevic 
District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngRussell Stamper (i)


Milwaukee Common Council primary (February 18, 2020)

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Candidates
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngAshanti Hamilton (i)
Leonard Goudy 
Green check mark transparent.pngVincent G. Toney 
District 2

This primary was canceled.

District 3

This primary was canceled.

District 4

This primary was canceled.

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngNikiya Harris Dodd (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngNick McVey 
Bruce Winter 
District 6

This primary was canceled.

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngKhalif Rainey (i)
Elizabeth Brown 
Kenneth Hughes 
Green check mark transparent.pngFred Royal 
District 8

Ryan M. Antczak 
Green check mark transparent.pngJustin Bielinski  Candidate Connection
Christian Saldivar Frias 
Angel Sanchez 
Green check mark transparent.pngJoCasta Zamarripa 
District 9

This primary was canceled.

District 10

This primary was canceled.

District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Borkowski (i)
Christian Ahangar 
Green check mark transparent.pngPeter Burgelis  Candidate Connection
District 12

This primary was canceled.

District 13

This primary was canceled.

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngJason Auerbach 
Green check mark transparent.pngMarina Dimitrijevic 
Paul Rasky 
District 15

This primary was canceled.


Endorsements

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Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Wisconsin elections, 2020

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What was at stake?

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About the city

See also: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is a city located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. As of 2020, its population was 577,222.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Milwaukee uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee Wisconsin
Population 577,222 5,893,718
Land area (sq mi) 96 54,166
Race and ethnicity**
White 42% 84.3%
Black/African American 38.8% 6.3%
Asian 4.6% 2.8%
Native American 0.5% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0% 0%
Other (single race) 8.4% 2.3%
Multiple 5.6% 3.4%
Hispanic/Latino 19.4% 7%
Education
High school graduation rate 84.4% 92.6%
College graduation rate 24.6% 30.8%
Income
Median household income $43,125 $63,293
Persons below poverty level 24.6% 11%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Twenty-three of 72 Wisconsin counties—32 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Adams County, Wisconsin 21.92% 8.73% 18.35%
Buffalo County, Wisconsin 21.82% 2.93% 14.66%
Columbia County, Wisconsin 2.14% 13.58% 15.26%
Crawford County, Wisconsin 5.40% 19.98% 27.03%
Door County, Wisconsin 3.22% 6.99% 17.33%
Dunn County, Wisconsin 11.09% 4.97% 14.95%
Forest County, Wisconsin 26.58% 5.44% 15.16%
Grant County, Wisconsin 9.43% 13.77% 23.88%
Jackson County, Wisconsin 11.74% 15.01% 21.84%
Juneau County, Wisconsin 26.05% 7.03% 9.00%
Kenosha County, Wisconsin 0.31% 12.23% 18.06%
Lafayette County, Wisconsin 8.99% 15.37% 22.32%
Lincoln County, Wisconsin 20.60% 0.71% 12.48%
Marquette County, Wisconsin 24.09% 0.27% 5.28%
Pepin County, Wisconsin 23.08% 2.22% 12.89%
Price County, Wisconsin 25.00% 0.04% 13.40%
Racine County, Wisconsin 4.28% 3.54% 7.41%
Richland County, Wisconsin 5.50% 16.13% 20.63%
Sauk County, Wisconsin 0.35% 18.47% 23.04%
Sawyer County, Wisconsin 18.41% 0.49% 6.23%
Trempealeau County, Wisconsin 12.64% 14.08% 26.39%
Vernon County, Wisconsin 4.43% 14.73% 22.00%
Winnebago County, Wisconsin 7.34% 3.73% 11.66%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Wisconsin with 47.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 46.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Wisconsin cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Wisconsin supported Republicans slightly more than Democratic candidates, 50.0 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Democrats in every presidential election from 2000 to 2012 before voting for Trump in 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in Wisconsin. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[1][2]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 43 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 34.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 36 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 34.6 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 56 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 12.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 63 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 19.4 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wisconsin Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes