Mandela Barnes shockingly suspends campaign to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor

Barnes’ exit comes after a turbulent Democratic primary marked by candidate shakeups, Gov. Tony Evers’ endorsement of David Crowley and reports of pending media scrutiny.

Mandela Barnes has ended his campaign to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor, announcing that he will instead work on the sidelines with Democrats to defeat the Republican nominee in November’s general election.

In a video announcement posted Thursday afternoon, Barnes, a former Wisconsin lieutenant governor and the 2022 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, said he had decided to suspend his gubernatorial campaign after a “very difficult conversation with my staff.”

“We’re incredibly proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message, but it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be,” said Barnes, a 39-year-old former Wisconsin state legislator from Milwaukee.

Barnes did not name the candidate he believes will become the Democratic nominee; however, Barnes had been locked in a highly competitive race against Francesca Hong, a Democratic socialist rising in public polling, and David Crowley, the Milwaukee County Executive.

The race for the Democratic nomination has been a messy one. After Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out of the race amid campaign finance reporting errors and a cash shortfall, Crowley, who had also previously dropped out of the race, announced that he was re-launching his campaign. Shortly after, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers endorsed Crowley, to the surprise of some, given that Barnes was Evers’ lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023.

In an interview with theGrio just days before suspending his campaign, Barnes expressed confidence in his ability to win the nomination and advance to the general election to face presumptive Republican nominee, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.

“My strength lies in the fact that I’m the one who’s actually ready to go on day one and, having been on both sides of a very close statewide election, I know what it takes to win,” Barnes told theGrio. He pointed to a Marquette University Law School Poll showing that he, unlike Crowley and Hong, would beat Tiffany in a hypothetical matchup.

Barnes also accused the Republican Governors Association of spending over $3 million to “prop” Hong up because she is “who they want to run against.” Similarly, Barnes called out “special interests and political insiders making backroom deals” when asked about the re-entrance of Crowley into the race.

Before Barnes’ shocking announcement, POLITICO reported that Democratic officials in the state were bracing for “damaging media reports about Barnes.” Shortly after he dropped out of the race, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that it was investigating allegations that Barnes was “taking advantage of his role in the party to have sexual encounters with young adult women.”

Barnes’ campaign spokesperson Darby O’Connor said in a statement that “there are no allegations of misconduct or wrongdoing against Mandela.”

As his hopes for the governorship are behind him, Barnes said his goal remains the same, with less than 100 days until Election Day.

“I said from the very beginning when I launched this campaign that the number one goal was taking on and defeating Tom Tiffany to deliver big wins for Democrats up and down the ticket, and now it’s our time to come together to focus our efforts on that one goal,” Barnes said in his video post.

He continued, “This is life or death for Wisconsinites who are losing their health care under a Trump administration. People who can’t afford child care, the folks who are being squeezed by bills, while the rich continue to get richer.”

The progressive Democrat said he initially entered the race for governor because most Americans are “living in a rigged system.”

“The rich are getting richer while the rest of us are left scrambling for crumbs. I know this firsthand. That’s why I’ve always fought for better as a legislator, as an organizer, as your lieutenant governor,” he explained. “Now, while I may be suspending this campaign, I’ll never give up my fight for Wisconsin. I’m incredibly grateful for all of us who joined this campaign. The people who believed in me and this movement knew that we had a real shot at creating opportunities through bold action to improve the quality of life for every single person that calls this place home.”

Barnes added, “Now we have to do everything we possibly can to defeat Tom Tiffany, and that’s exactly what I’m committed to doing for the next 96 days.”