2012 Milwaukee mayoral election

The 2012 Milwaukee mayoral election was held on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, to elect the mayor for Milwaukee. Incumbent mayor Tom Barrett was elected to a third term, defeating Edward McDonald.^[1] This election coincided with other municipal elections, including an unopposed re-election bid for Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and contested elections for City Comptroller, City Treasurer, and the Common Council.^[2]

2012 Milwaukee mayoral election

← 2008 February 21, 2012 (primary) April 3, 2012 (general) 2016 →

Candidate Tom Barrett Edward McDonald Popular vote 54,640 22,388 Percentage 70.46% 28.87%

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 21, 2012, to narrow the field of candidates to two.^[2]

Primary election

Candidates

• Tom Barrett, incumbent mayor^[2]
• Ieshuh Griffin, community activist and frequent candidate^[2][3]
• Edward McDonald, faculty member of the University of Wisconsin–Extension and community activist^[2]

Declined

• Bill Wenz, former real estate broker^[2]

Results

Non-partisan primary results, February 21, 2012^[4]

Candidate		Votes	%
Tom Barrett		27,835	80.56
Edward C. McDonald		5,224	15.12
Ieshuh Griffin		1,148	3.32
Write-In		346	1.00
Total votes		34,553	100
Voter turnout		11.67%

General election

Candidates

• Tom Barrett, incumbent mayor
• Edward McDonald, faculty member of the University of Wisconsin–Extension and community activist

Results

General election results, April 3, 2012^[5]

Candidate		Votes	%
Tom Barrett		54,640	70.46
Edward C. McDonald		22,388	28.87
Write-In		517	0.67
Total votes		77,545	100

Barrett announced on March 30, 2012, that he would run in the Democratic primary for Governor in the recall election to face incumbent Scott Walker; he subsequently lost.^[6]