Mandela Barnes drops out of Democratic primary race for Wisconsin governor

Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor, abruptly ended his bid for Wisconsin governor on Thursday, less than two weeks before the Aug. 11 primary. He announced his withdrawal in a video posted to Facebook, acknowledging that his opponent, democratic socialist Francesca Hong, had gained substantial support.

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It's become very clear who our nominee is going to be.

Barnes' decision came a day after a Marquette Law School poll revealed Hong leading him and other candidates by a wide margin, though a significant portion of Democratic primary voters remained undecided. "It's become very clear who our nominee is going to be," Barnes stated.

He is the third Democrat to leave the race. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez withdrew amid a campaign finance scandal two weeks prior, and former state economic development director Missy Hughes exited in June. Following Rodriguez's departure, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley re-entered the race with an endorsement from Gov. Tony Evers, who had previously endorsed Crowley over Barnes.

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But he needs to do what he needs to do.

The shakeup occurs as nearly 128,000 voters have already cast absentee ballots, and early in-person voting has begun. A recent court ruling denied a request to allow voters who had already submitted absentee ballots to cancel and re-vote. The Democratic primary winner will likely face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has minimal opposition in the Republican primary. Barnes' exit mirrors his 2022 campaign strategy, where he benefited from other candidates withdrawing to clear the field, though he ultimately lost the U.S. Senate race to Ron Johnson by fewer than 27,000 votes.

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I don't know why he's getting out. I have to believe it's something relatively important.