A new poll in the primary race for Milwaukee mayor conducted by Public Policy Polling found the acting mayor in the lead.
The primary is Feb.15.
The poll was conducted for Milwaukee Works, a nonprofit policy organization that says it advocates for politically moderate public policy issues. The poll surveyed 1,135 likely voters and was in the field on Jan. 19-20.
It found acting Mayor and Common Council President Cavalier Johnson led the field, receiving 25 percent when asked who participants would vote for if the election were held today. Former Ald. Bob Donovan received 18 percent, followed by Dem state Sen. Lena Taylor at 13 percent and Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic at 7 percent. Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas received 5 percent, followed by Michael Sampson and Isehuh Griffin, both at 1 percent.
But 30 percent of those polled said they were still “not sure.”
“The three-tier aspect of the race at this point is surprising,” Dan Adams, a Milwaukee attorney who oversees Milwaukee Works, said on Sunday’s “UpFront,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. “I expected Marina Dimitrijevic and Sheriff Earnell Lucas to do better, not be in the low digits, but I did expect Lena Taylor and Bob Donovan to be where they are, fighting for that second place.”
The top two primary winners will advance to the April 5 spring general election.
The Milwaukee Works poll also found half of likely primary voters listed crime and public safety as their top priority for the next mayor.
Clean water was next at 16 percent, while jobs and economy was third at 15 percent.
The poll also found 69 percent of primary voters support requiring masks in public to stem the spread of COVID-19, while 26 percent were opposed. Milwaukee recently approved a new mask mandate.
The poll also asked about closing Milwaukee Public Schools’ response to COVID.
Twenty-eight percent of respondents said school should always be in-person, while 25 percent said it should be virtual until the risk from the virus is eliminated.
Forty-one percent said it should be in person unless a predetermined number of students or staff test positive and the school then switches to remote learning.
See more from the show here.
See the poll here.
