Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson is sticking by President Joe Biden even as more rank-and-file Democrats call for the president to withdraw from the 2024 race. We caught up with Johnson as his city prepared to host the Republican National Convention.
Here’s what we learned:
Johnson believes Biden can win Wisconsin. Johnson, who’s served as mayor since late 2021, was reassured by what he heard from Biden during a recent call with mayors from across the nation. “The Joe Biden that we engaged with on that call was Joe Biden that everybody wanted to show up to the debate,” Johnson said.
Speaking of a “binary choice” between Biden and former President Donald Trump, Johnson said Biden was the clear winner. Johnson hailed Biden’s legislative record passing the Inflation Reduction Act, bipartisan infrastructure law and the American Rescue Plan.
Johnson isn’t buying Trump’s claims that he’s gaining among Black voters. Johnson, the second Black mayor of Milwaukee, said that his conversations with constituents show Biden is in a strong position with Black voters.
Here’s Johnson recounting his experience at Milwaukee’s Juneteenth festival:
Johnson isn’t concerned about recent polling. Hill Democrats have been spooked by an AARP poll that found Biden trailing Trump in the Badger State. Johnson dismissed the findings as “just a snapshot in a moment in time, not necessarily a predictor of what’s going to happen in an election.”
“Obviously, polling has not hit the mark in these past couple elections, including back in 2022 when there was suspected that there was going to be some red wave in Congress, and it was a trickle,” Johnson said.
We also asked Johnson what visitors to the city should check out during convention week. Johnson singled out Lake Michigan as a must-see. “I would encourage folks to go to Lake Michigan, go down to the beach, or go down to Lakeshore State Park and then turn around and see the vistas of this city,” Johnson said.
Johnson couldn’t resist a dig at Trump’s critical Milwaukee comments, which we broke the news on last month.
“Regardless of what the former occupant of the White House might say, you’ll have these experiences here in the city and you’ll understand this isn’t a horrible city. This is a remarkable city,” Johnson said.
