Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes. Image courtesy: State of Wisconsin
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes announced Tuesday morning he’d like to succeed his former running mate, Tony Evers.
He instantly carries the most name recognition in a crowded primary field, but does that make him the frontrunner for the party?
“Probably the most well known of the candidates,” answered UW-Green Bay Political Science Professor Aaron Weinschenk when asked that question. “They all have some experience or some exposure to Wisconsinites.”
A recent Marquette Law School poll showed only 26% of people knew the name of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Just behind him was current Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez at 25%, followed by State Representative Francesca Hong at 22% and State Senator Kelda Roys at 17%.
Not only was Barnes the lieutenant governor, he ran for U.S. Senate against Ron Johnson in 2022, losing by 1% or 26,718 votes. It was the same year Evers won re-election by 90,239 votes, or 3.4%.
There have been reports some Democrats didn’t want Barnes to enter this race. That includes former Lt Governor Barbara Lawton, according to the New York Times.
“He proved to us beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can’t run hard enough and give us a winning campaign on a statewide basis,” said Lawton in the New York Times story.
“I think that’s definitely going to be something that will be front and center in this campaign, especially among opponents in the primary,” said Weinschenk. “They’re going to say he couldn’t cut it last time in a statewide race, so how is it going to be different this time around.”
The primary is eight months away, on August 11th.
The general election is on November 3rd.
The Republican candidates for governor are Rep. Tom Tiffany, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and medical service technician Andy Manske.
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