1988 Milwaukee mayoral election

1988 Milwaukee mayoral election
April 5, 1988
 
Candidate John Norquist Martin J. Schreiber
Popular vote 112,902 93,738
Percentage 54.64% 45.36%
Mayor before election

Henry Maier
Democratic

Elected mayor

John Norquist
Democratic

The 1988 Milwaukee mayoral election was held in April 1988, to elect the mayor of Milwaukee. State Senator John Norquist was elected to succeed outgoing mayor Henry Maier. Norquist defeated Martin J. Schreiber (the former lieutenant governor and acting governor of Wisconsin) in the general election. Six other candidates (including Lee Holloway) were eliminated in the nonpartisan primary. Dennis Conta (former Wisconsin secretary of revenue) withdrew from the race before the primary took place.

Background

Incumbent mayor, Henry Maier had held the office since being elected in 1960. He opted to forgo re-election in 1988 and to retire from the mayoralty at the age of 70.[1] He cited his belief that he had grown too old to seek another term.[2]

The election coincided with county elections, including the election for Milwaukee County Executive (which was won by Dave Schulz in a landslide).[3] The general election coincided with the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary and the Wisconsin Republican presidential primary.[4]

While the election itself was non-partisan, both of the candidates in the general election were Democrats, as was the outgoing mayor.[4]

Candidates

Advanced to general election

Eliminated in primary

  • Lee Holloway
  • Willie G. Lovelace
  • Donna Horowitz Richards, 1984 mayoral runner-up, teacher, youth worker[5][6]
  • Kevin J. Robinson
  • Sandra Sherman, garment worker[5]

Withdrew

Campaign

After the early withdrawal of Conta in February, local journalist Bruce Murphy opined, "[Conta's] withdrawal turns this into a two-man race lasting more than five months, and I don’t think Schreiber…can stand up to the scrutiny of the electorate for half a year."[7]

Norquist's candidacy was boosted by support from a coalition of liberal-leaning white voters and black voters.[8] Among the black voters who Norquist courted were many whom the Chicago Tribune described as belonging to Milwaukee's black "Intelligentsia".[3] Schulz's coalition was described as predominantly middle class in its socio-economic character. This differed from incumbent mayor Maier's coalition, which had been predominently blue collar.[3] Norquist was generally described to be a political progressive on maters such as transit, employment policies, and environmentalism; as well as a believer in new urbanism.[8] However, he also held certain positions that departed from the city's prior liberal orthodoxy and were more commonly of conservatives, including his stances in support of ending welfare and cutting the city's budget.[9] Norquist's campaign platform emphasized taking new approaches, bringing jobs to the city, and fostering greater unity between the city's disjointed north and south sides.[3] One description given to his views at the time of the 1988 election was "conservative socialist".[10]

After Milwaukee County Parks Director Dave Schulz endorsed Noquist's campaign in late 1987, he was fired by Milwaukee County Executive William O'Donnell. Schulz then launched an ultimately successful campaign to unseat O'Donnell in the coinciding county executive election.[3]

State Senator Barbara Ulichney served as Norquist's campaign treasurer.[3]

Outgoing mayor Maier did not make an endorsement of a preferred successor. The general election between Norquist and Schreiber was hard fought, but Norquist won by a sizable margin of victory.[3]

Norquist was regarded to be the candidate that more challenged the city's existing political establishment, while Schreiber was regarded as the candidate who was seen as friendlier to the establishment.[3]

Polls

Early on, initial polling had showed the race favoring Schreiber. Norquist was well behind him in early polls.[11]

Polls conducted in the weeks before the primary showed the field dominated by Schreibrer and Norquist. Schreiber held a consistent lead over Norquist in polls, but that lead narrowed as the election neared.[12]

Polls conducted ahead of the general election indicated a close race. The weekend prior to the election, the Milwaukee Journal released a poll showing Norquist leading by only four points, with 24% of voters remaining undecided.[3]

Campaign spending

The election was the most expensive in Milwaukee's history up to that time, with the two general election candidates spending a combined $1 million. This total exceeded the statewide campaign spending of any pair of Democratic presidential primary contenders. Norquist's campaign spent $800,000, while Schreiber's spent $500,000.[3]

Results

Primary results

The primary saw 25% turnout among registered voters.[12]

Primary result[11][13]
Candidate Votes %
Martin J. Schreiber 44,984 44
John Norquist 40,575 40
Lee Holloway 7,886 8
Donna Horowitz Richards 5,983 6
Willie Lovelace <1
Kevin J. Robinson <1
Sandra Sherman <1

Schreiber's lead in the primary was lower than what he had anticipated receiving above Norquist. In his remarks on the night of the primary, Schreiber noted that he had been out-spent by Norquist and promised his campaign would win votes in the general election, "the old fashioned way –we're going to earn it."[12]

General election results

complete, unofficial returns:

General election result[4]
Candidate Votes %
John Norquist 112,902 55
Martin J. Schreiber 93,738 45

Exit polls indicated that Norquist received 59% of the city's black vote, while Schreiber received 41%. The city's population at the time was one-fifth black.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "State Sen. Norquist Wins Milwaukee Mayoral Race". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 6, 1988. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  2. ^ "Milwaukee Voters Choose Mayor Candidates". Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Leader-Telegram. The Associated Press. February 17, 1988. p. 16. Retrieved December 30, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Norquis Milwaukee's Mayor". Chicago Tribune. April 7, 1988. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "After 28 Years, Milwaukee Chooses a New Mayor". The New York Times. The Associated Press. April 7, 1988. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Wise, David (February 14, 2022). "Tuesday's Primary Sets Stage For Historic Mayoral Election In Milwaukee". WisPolitics. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  6. ^ "Mayor Henry Maier, Dean of America's Big City Mayors,..." UPI. April 4, 1984. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "No Holds Barred". Milwaukee Magazine. March 6, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Longoria, Thomas, Jr. (March 1999). "The Impact of Office on Crossracial Voting Evidence from the 1996 Milwaukee Mayoral Election". Urban Affairs Review. 34 (4). Retrieved April 3, 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Milwaukee Mayor". NPR. April 5, 1996. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  10. ^ "Politics". Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Schreiber, Norquist Face Mayoral Battle". Kenosha News. United Press International. February 17, 1988. p. 27. Retrieved February 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c "Milwaukee Mayor: Schreiber, Norquist". Wisconsin State Journal. The Associated Press. February 17, 1988. p. 13. Retrieved December 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Schreiber, Norquist Survive Milwaukee Mayoral Primary". The Capital Times. The Associated Press. February 17, 1988. p. 21. Retrieved February 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.con.
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