Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas announces run for mayor

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas announced his intention to run for mayor Thursday, Sept. 9.

"There's a myriad of issues that we face, and it's the ability to sit down and bring all people to the table and understand that what affects one directly, affects all of us indirectly," said Sheriff Lucas. "If we can work on that, we can solve that problem."

President Joe Biden nominated Mayor Tom Barrett as the next U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg on Aug. 25.

Several mayoral candidates have since emerged. 

Retired Milwaukee alderman Bob Donovan told CBS 58 he will run for mayor if Barrett is confirmed.

Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson has also said he plans to run for the permanent position.

Johnson is next in line to serve as acting mayor if Mayor Barrett is confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg by the Senate.

A longtime Milwaukee cop, Lucas spent 25 years with the department, retiring as a captain.

Before running for sheriff, he oversaw security for Major League Baseball.

Sheriff Lucas ran and won the sheriff's race in 2018. 

Political science professor Mordecai Lee says that win shows Lucas is a strong contender for the mayor's office, because he was able to grow grassroots support from across the area.