Democrat Mandela Barnes launches bid for Wisconsin governor
Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes announced Tuesday that he will run for governor, joining a crowded Democratic primary race for the open seat in the critical battleground state.
In a campaign launch video, Barnes, 39, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, framed his candidacy as a way to combat the “chaos” of President Donald Trump’s administration and promised to make affordability a key plank of his candidacy.
“It seems like the harder you work, the more Washington looks the other way: lower taxes for billionaires, higher prices for workers. Under Trump, the name of the game has been distraction and chaos to avoid accountability,” Barnes said in the video.
“Here’s the reality: The only way our state can move forward is to reject the Washington way and get things done the Wisconsin way,” he continued. “It’s not about left or right, it’s not about who can shout the loudest – it’s about whether people can afford to live in the state they call home. A state where you can pay for your health care. Where your kids can learn a skill and stay close to home. Where a good day’s work can bring in a good day’s pay.”
Barnes served as lieutenant governor of Wisconsin from 2019 to 2023, becoming the first Black person to hold the position in the state. He previously served two terms in the State Assembly, representing a Milwaukee-area district.
After narrowly losing to Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., three years ago, Barnes has remained politically active in the state through his political action committee, which aims to promote Democratic candidates across the country who are, according to the group’s website, “young,” “candidates of color,” LGBTQ+” and “working class.”
Barnes’ entry, which was widely expected, further expands an already wide field of candidates in both parties vying to succeed Gov. Tony Evers, 74, who announced in July that he would not seek a third term.
On the Democratic side, the list includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, state Rep. Francesca Hong, who identifies as a democratic socialist, and Missy Hughes, the former CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
On the Republican side, Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents a rural, solidly Republican area that includes most of the upstate, and Josh Schoemann, the executive of Washington County, a suburban area northwest of Milwaukee, are among the candidates.
The primaries of the two major parties are expected to be competitive. Wisconsin is one of five states won by President Donald Trump last year in which a Democratic-controlled governorship is at stake in 2026. Cook’s nonpartisan Political Report with Amy Walter called the race a “toss-up.” This is the state’s first open gubernatorial contest since 2010.
Barnes is expected to launch a listening tour of the state this week with stops in Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay, where his campaign said he would “listen to concerns about rising costs and share his vision for making Wisconsin more affordable for families.”
Barnes lost his 2022 Senate bid by 1 percentage point, or just under 27,000 votes. He sought to present himself as a progressive, with Republicans at the time attacking his support for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and eliminating cash bail.
In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s launch, some state Democrats raised the question of whether Barnes should try again for statewide office after his 2022 defeat.
An October editorial in the Milwaukee Courier, the city’s oldest black-owned newspaper, said that “Mandela had his opportunity. He didn’t close. And that means it’s time for a new chapter.”
The gubernatorial race will top a Wisconsin runoff filled with other competitive contests in 2026, including lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state. Another issue, for the first time in more than a decade, could be partisan control of the state Legislature.
