2016 Milwaukee mayoral election

The 2016 Milwaukee mayoral election was held on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, to elect the mayor for Milwaukee. Incumbent mayor Tom Barrett was elected to a fourth term, defeating Bob Donovan.

2016 Milwaukee mayoral election

← 2012 February 16, 2016 (primary) April 5, 2016 (general) 2020 →
Turnout	53.23%
Candidate Tom Barrett Bob Donovan Popular vote 110,437 46,957 Percentage 69.95% 29.74%
Mayor before election Tom Barrett Democratic Elected mayor Tom Barrett Democratic

Municipal elections in Wisconsin are non-partisan. The non-partisan primary was held on Tuesday, February 16, 2016, to narrow the field of candidates to two.

Primary election

Candidates

• Tom Barrett, incumbent^[1]
• Bob Donovan, District 8 Alderman^[1]
• Joe Davis, District 2 Alderman^[1]
• James Methu, journalist^[1]

Results

Non-partisan primary results, February 16, 2016^[2]

Candidate		Votes	%
Tom Barrett		30,239	46.14
Bob Donovan		21,261	32.44
Joe Davis		12,132	18.51
James Methu		1,755	2.68
Write-In		147	0.22
Total votes		65,534	100
Voter turnout		20.58%

General election

Candidates

• Tom Barrett, incumbent
• Bob Donovan, District 8 Alderman

Endorsements

Tom Barrett

• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees^[3]
• Herb Kohl, former US States Senator^[4]
• James Methu, former candidate for mayor^[5]
• Gwen Moore, US congresswoman^[3]
• Barack Obama, President of the United States^[4]
• United Steelworkers^[3]

Bob Donovan

• David Clarke, Milwaukee Sheriff^[4]
• Joe Davis, alderman and former candidate for mayor^[6]
• Milwaukee Police Association^[4]
• Milwaukee Professional Fire Fighters Association^[4]

Results

General election results, April 5, 2016^[7]

Candidate		Votes	%
Tom Barrett		110,437	69.95
Bob Donovan		46,957	29.74
Write-In		475	0.30
Total votes		157,869	100
Voter turnout		53.23%