Madison, Wisconsin.. Democrat Mandela Barnes, who served four years as Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor and narrowly lost a 2022 U.S. Senate bid, jumped into the open battleground state. The race for governor Tuesday.
Given his high-profile name and statewide funding network, Barnes enters the 2026 race as the favorite in a primary crowded with lesser-known candidates who don’t have an internal support network.
Wisconsin is a politically divided state that elected President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2024 and President Joe Biden in 2020. All three elections were decided by less than a percentage point.
The message in Barnes’ campaign launch video will likely appeal to many Democratic primary voters. He highlighted his father’s union background and attacked Trump, saying the Republican focused on “distraction and chaos to avoid accountability.” He says that Trump is focused on “cutting taxes for billionaires and raising prices for the working class.”
But with an eye toward independent and swing voters, who will play a key role in the general election, Barnes is adopting a moderate, economic-focused stance.
“It’s not about left or right, and it’s not about who can shout louder. It’s about whether people can afford to live in the state they call home,” Barnes says in the video.
Barnes has faced some opposition among Democrats who have publicly expressed concerns about his candidacy after he lost a Senate race to incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson three years ago. If he wins next year, he will become Wisconsin’s first black governor.
“Mandela had his chance. He did not close his doors. This means it is time for a new chapter,” the black-owned Milwaukee Courier newspaper wrote in an article. October 25 editorial. “We need a candidate who can unite this state — and win. Mandela Barnes has already shown us he can’t.”
Barnes lost to Johnson by one percentage point, which equates to just under 27,000 votes. He did 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 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 mainstream Deputy Governortwo state legislators, The highest elected official In the Democratic stronghold of Milwaukee County and a former state Director of Economic Development.
US Republican Representative Tom TiffanyHe is a staunch supporter of Trump, and he is the most prominent candidate for the Republican Party. He faces a challenge from the Washington County Executive Josh Shuman.
It will be the most prominent race in Wisconsin next year, as Democrats seek to control the Legislature thanks to a redrawing of electoral maps that is more party-friendly. They are targeting two congressional districts, as Democrats across the country try to retake the House.
The race for governor is open because incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has decided not to run for 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, Sarah Rodriguez, was the first Democrat to enter the governor’s race this year. Others running include Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley; State Senator Kelda Royce; Representative State Francesca Hong; and former state economic development director Missy Hughes.
The August primary will narrow the field before the November election.
The last open race for governor in Wisconsin was in 2010, when Democrat Jim Doyle, like Evers, chose not to run for a third term. Republican Scott Walker won that year and had served two terms before Evers defeated him In 2018.
Evers won his first race by just over 1 percentage point in 2018. He won re-election by just over 3 points in 2022.