Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has entered Wisconsin’s 2026 race for governor, joining a crowded Democratic primary field and vowing to “get things done the Wisconsin way” if elected.
In a campaign launch video posted Tuesday morning, Barnes hit on pro-labor and affordability messages, and accused President Donald Trump of governing by “distraction and chaos to avoid accountability.”
The video opens with Barnes carrying his father’s United Auto Workers union jacket, which he said his dad wore everywhere growing up. Barnes said “back then,” union jobs allowed families to buy a home, support a family and retire.
“That’s not the case anymore,” Barnes said. “It seems like the harder you work, the more Washington looks the other way. Lower taxes for billionaires, higher prices for working people.”
Barnes said the Trump administration is a “show of outrage performances” with members “trying to go viral.” Barnes said in Wisconsin, it’s not about left or right, or who can yell the loudest.
“It’s about whether people can afford to live in the state they call home, a state where you can afford your health care, where your kids can learn a skill and stay close to home, where a good day’s work earns a good day’s pay and where families can not only get by but thrive,” said Barnes.
Since Democratic Gov. Evers announced he wouldn’t seek a third term, the Democratic primary field has swelled. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Madison state Sen. Kelda Roys, Madison state Rep. Francesca Hong and former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes all announced bids earlier this year.
But Barnes has a level of statewide name recognition that stands out among his fellow Democrats, thanks in large part to his tight but unsuccessful 2022 run against Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson. Johnson won the race by 1 percentage point.
News with a little more humanity
WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.
A press release from Barnes’ campaign Tuesday highlights his time serving as a former member of the Wisconsin Assembly and as Evers’ running mate in 2018, when the pair defeated former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. It also touted Barnes’ nonprofit Forward Together Wisconsin, aimed at harnessing Biden-era clean energy investments since 2023. Barnes also leads Power to the Polls Wisconsin, which recruits poll workers. The press release credits the group with helping elect liberal state Supreme Court Justices Janet Protasiewicz in 2023 and Susan Crawford in April.
According to his campaign, Barnes has already been endorsed by Green Bay Major Eric Genrich, La Crosse Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey and Superior Mayor Jim Paine. Other backers include current and former state lawmakers, school board members and a Milwaukee Common Council member.
The Barnes campaign pointed to two early polls as evidence that he’s already leading the Democratic primary field, as well as Republicans.
In October, a poll conducted by conservative public relations firm Platform Communications showed Barnes ahead of Rodriguez by 8 percentage points. And in November, an online survey of 1,483 registered Wisconsin conducted by the League of American Workers suggested Barnes also led U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, who announced his gubernatorial campaign in September.
In an October article in the New York Times, some Democrats in Wisconsin voiced concern about Barnes entering the race for governor, based on his 2022 loss to Johnson.
Tiffany is current considered the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for governor. He and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann are the two main candidates for the GOP.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2025, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
