Mandela Barnes drops out of Wisconsin governor race
Politico · LC · trust 57/100
Politico Logo More from Politico Europe Pro E&E News AgencyIQ Press Escape to close the menu.
WASHINGTON & POLITICS WASHINGTON & POLITICS 6 items 1st item Congress 2nd item White House 3rd item Supreme Court and Legal Issues 4th item Magazine 5th item 2026 Elections 6th item Latest on POLITICO STATE POLITICS & POLICY STATE POLITICS & POLICY 4 items 1st item California 2nd item Florida 3rd item New Jersey 4th item New York GLOBAL POLITICS & POLICY GLOBAL POLITICS & POLICY 4 items 1st item Brussels 2nd item Canada 3rd item United Kingdom 4th item World Cup POLICY NEWS POLICY NEWS 11 items 1st item Food and Agriculture 2nd item Cybersecurity 3rd item Defense 4th item Education 5th item Energy and Climate 6th item Tax, Finance and the Economy 7th item Health Care 8th item Labor 9th item Tech 10th item Trade 11th item Transportation NEWSLETTERS NEWSLETTERS 6 items 1st item Playbook 2nd item West Wing Playbook 3rd item Inside Congress 4th item POLITICO Forecast 5th item POLITICO Magazine 6th item All Newsletters COLUMNISTS COLUMNISTS 7 items 1st item Alex Burns 2nd item Victoria Guida 3rd item John Harris 4th item Debra Kahn 5th item Jonathan Martin 6th item Nahal Toosi 7th item All Columnists SERIES & MORE SERIES & MORE 7 items 1st item Inside Congress Live 2nd item Breaking News Alerts 3rd item Podcasts 4th item Video 5th item Matt Wuerker Cartoons 6th item Cartoon Carousel 7th item The POLITICO Poll POLITICO Live POLITICO Live 1 item 1st item Events Follow us X Instagram Facebook LinkedIn My Account Log In Mandela Barnes drops out of Wisconsin governor race Shortly after, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed it was investigating allegations that Barnes had leveraged his role within the state Democratic party to have sexual encounters with young women.
Gubernatorial candidate Mandela Barnes speaks on stage during Wisconsin Democrats 2026 Convention in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 14, 2026. | Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for WisDems
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the crowded Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor on Thursday, as progressive state lawmaker Francesca Hong surges in the polls.
“It’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be,” he said in a video posted to social media , while not directly naming another contender.
“We have to do everything to beat Tom Tiffany ,” he added, referencing the likely GOP nominee.
The announcement comes as Democratic officials in the state brace for damaging media reports about Barnes, which were expected to hit in the coming hours. Barnes and his team had been on calls Thursday discussing whether to drop out, POLITICO reported earlier.
Shortly after Barnes exited the race, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported it was investigating allegations that Barnes had leveraged his role within the state Democratic party to have sexual encounters with young women, based on a 2025 review conducted by the party. Barnes has not been accused of any crimes, and the Journal Sentinel reported that the party’s review did not result in an actionable outcome.
POLITICO has not independently confirmed the allegations. Barnes ’ campaign spokesperson Darby O’Connor said in a statement that “there are no allegations of misconduct or wrongdoing against Mandela .”
The primary had become increasingly messy as more moderate leaning Democrats have tried to stave off Hong ’s rise , worried the democratic socialist’s victory could boost Tiffany. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ endorsement of David Crowley — who reentered the race in the final stretch after current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ’s campaign imploded — further complicated the moderate coalition.
A Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday showed Hong with 38 percent support among Democratic primary voters, with Barnes in a distant second with 16 percent and Crowley stuck in third with just 7 percent. The same poll found that 30 percent Barnes supporters picked Hong as their second choice, almost twice as many as those who picked Crowley , though a plurality remained undecided.
Democrats, including some close to Barnes , are hoping the last-minute drop will allow voters to coalesce around Crowley, who is set to hit the campaign trail with Evers next week in the final stretch, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter. Evers is also slated to appear at several fundraisers for Crowley in the coming days, including one in Madison on Thursday and a Friday event in Milwaukee.
Those Democrats believe Evers can help boost Crowley’s support with older voters, who turn out more reliably than Hong’s base of younger Wisconsinites. Crowley still faces a major uphill battle, but that’s the only path to challenge Hong .
Crowley sought to attract Barnes voters in an X post Thursday: “To everyone who backed Mandela : there’s a place for you in what we’re building.”
But Crowley is still contending with two other Democrats — state Sen. Kelda Roys and former Evers cabinet member Joel Brennan — who are polling in the single-digits. Brennan said Thursday he plans to remain in the race, vowing to “continue reaching voters to talk about what I’ll do to win and lead our state to a stronger future.”
Evers told Milwaukee-based news station WISN on Thursday that he was “surprised” by Barnes ’ exit.
“I don’t know why he’s getting out,” Evers said of Barnes . “I have to believe it’s something relatively important, but at the end of the day, it’s his call.”
Global power is in flux. Your daily guide to what comes next.
By signing up, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service . You may unsubscribe at any time by following the directions at the bottom of the email or by contacting us here . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Read the original at Politico →
Open in TruthVane →