With only 12 days left until the Democratic primary, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes announced Thursday he is suspending his campaign because “it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be.”
Barnes did not mention frontrunner Rep. Francesca Hong by name, but said that “it’s our time to come together.”
There are some who wanted either Barnes or Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to drop out and back the other as a long-shot effort to keep Hong from becoming the nominee, but Barnes gave no indication of endorsing that campaign either.
“I said from the very beginning,” Barnes said in a social media video post, “that the #1 goal is defeating Tom Tiffany and delivering big wins for Democrats up and down the ticket. And now it’s our time to come together.”
In an UpNorthNews/Main Street Action poll released this week, even when taking into account the second choices of Barnes’ supporters, Hong retains her commanding lead in the race: 47% to 19% for Crowley, 6% for Sen. Kelda Roys, and 5% for former Administration Secretary Joel Brennan.
“It’s unfortunate for voters that this primary has gotten more attention for chaos than the stakes of this election,” Brennan said in a statement after Barnes’ announcement. “From the start of this campaign, my focus has been on the families, workers, businesses, and communities being squeezed by the chaos out of Washington. This election is about Wisconsin. It’s about stopping Donald Trump and Tom Tiffany, and electing a Democratic legislature that will get to work for the people. I’m going to continue to focus on reaching voters to talk about what I’ll do to win and lead our state to a stronger future.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel framed Barnes’ announcement as coming amid reports that it was about to publish “allegations that Barnes was taking advantage of his role in the party to have sexual encounters with young adult women.”
According to a Journal Sentinel source, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin hired a law firm last year to look into rumors it found to be “anonymous and unspecific” and “nothing actionable.”
The national political news site Politico says the Crowley campaign hopes to attract Barnes’ supporters, including hosting a round of upcoming fundraisers with Gov. Tony Evers, who endorsed Crowley a week ago — part of a whirlwind of events that included Crowley leaving the race and endorsing Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, the end of the Rodriguez campaign amid a campaign finance scandal, and Crowley’s return to the competition for the Aug. 11 primary nomination.
Barnes and the other candidates held their only televised debate of the campaign on Tuesday night. Less than 48 hours later, he was thanking supporters and urging them to stay focused on keeping the governor’s office in Democratic hands on Nov. 3.
“Now we have to do everything we possibly can to defeat Tom Tiffany and that’s exactly what I’m committed to doing over the next 96 days,” Barnes concluded.
