MADISON, Wis. – Former Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes, a Democrat known for his close 2022 Senate race, has entered the competitive arena for the state’s gubernatorial race set for 2026. Announcing his candidacy on Tuesday, Barnes steps into the spotlight as a leading contender, armed with significant name recognition and a robust statewide funding network.
In the race for governor, Barnes confronts a field crowded with lesser-known candidates lacking the established support and resources that his previous political roles afford him. Wisconsin, a state marked by its political volatility, has swung narrowly in recent presidential elections, choosing Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024, and Joe Biden in 2020, each victory achieved by razor-thin margins.
Barnes’ campaign kickoff video is crafted to resonate with Democratic primary voters, accentuating his connection to his father’s union roots and launching a critique against former President Trump. He accuses Trump of using “distraction and chaos to avoid accountability,” pointing to policies that he argues favor “lower taxes for billionaires” while imposing “higher prices for working people.”
Recognizing the importance of appealing to independent and swing voters for a general election triumph, Barnes strikes a more centrist chord by emphasizing economic issues. In a bid to unite rather than divide, he asserts, “It isn’t about left or right, it isn’t about who can yell the loudest. It’s about whether people can afford to live in the state they call home,” underscoring a focus on financial stability.
But with an eye toward independent and swing voters, who will be key in the general election, Barnes pitches a moderate stance focused on the economy.
“It isn’t about left or right, it isn’t about who can yell the loudest. It’s about whether people can afford to live in the state they call home,” Barnes says in the video.
Barnes has met with some opposition among Democrats who have publicly expressed worries about him running after he lost the Senate race to Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson three years ago. If he wins next year, he will become Wisconsin’s first Black governor.
“Mandela had his opportunity. He didn’t close. And that means it’s time for a new chapter,” the Black-owned Milwaukee Courier newspaper wrote in an Oct. 25 editorial. “We need a candidate who can unite this state — and win. Mandela Barnes already showed us he can’t.”
Barnes lost to Johnson by 1 percentage point, which amounts to just under 27,000 votes. He does not mention the Senate race in his campaign launch video.
After the defeat, he formed a voter turnout group called Forward Together Wisconsin, which he says has strengthened his position heading into the governor’s race. He also has a political action committee.
Barnes joins a crowded field in the open race for governor that already includes the current lieutenant governor, two state lawmakers, the highest elected official in the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee County and a former state economic development director.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a staunch Trump supporter, is the highest profile GOP candidate. He faces a challenge from Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann.
It will be Wisconsin’s highest profile race next year, as Democrats angle to take control of the Legislature thanks to redrawn election maps that are friendlier to the party. They are targeting two congressional districts, as Democrats nationwide try to retake the House.
The governor’s race is open because current Democratic Gov. Tony Evers decided against seeking a second term. Barnes, a former state representative, won the primary for lieutenant governor in 2018 and served in that position during Evers’ first term.
The current lieutenant governor, Sara Rodriguez, was the first Democrat to get into the governor’s race this year. Others running include Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley; state Sen. Kelda Roys; state Rep. Francesca Hong; and former state economic development director Missy Hughes.
An August primary will narrow the field ahead of the November election.
The last open race for governor in Wisconsin was in 2010, when Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle, similar to Evers, opted not to seek a third term. Republican Scott Walker won that year and served two terms before Evers defeated him in 2018.
Evers won his first race by just over 1 percentage point in 2018. He won reelection by just over 3 points in 2022.
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