Mandela Barnes Announces Run For Wisconsin Governor 

The crowded race for the next Wisconsin governor has gained another entrant as former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes announced his candidacy on Tuesday.

According to NBC News, Barnes framed his campaign as a push back against the “chaos” of the Trump administration in his announcement video. “Under Trump, the name of the game has been distraction and chaos to avoid accountability,” Barnes said in the video. He added that affordability will be one of the primary focuses of his campaign.

“Seems like the harder you work, the more Washington looks the other way: lower taxes for billionaires, higher prices for working people. Here’s the reality check – the only way for our state to move forward is to reject the Washington way and get things done the Wisconsin way,” Barnes added. “It isn’t about left or right, it isn’t about 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 can earn a good day’s pay.”

A bevy of candidates has already entered the race to replace current Gov. Tony Evers, after he announced in July he wouldn’t be running for a third term.

From NBC News:

On the Democratic side, the list includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, state Rep. Francesca Hong, who identifies as a democratic socialist, and Missy Hughes, the former CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

As for the Republicans, Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents a rural and solidly Republican area comprising most of the northern part of the state, and Josh Schoemann, the county executive of Washington County, an exurban area northwest of Milwaukee, are among the candidates.

The primaries for both major parties are expected to be competitive. Wisconsin is one of five states President Donald Trump won last year where a Democratic-controlled governorship is on the ballot in 2026. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter has rated the race as a “toss-up.” It’s the first open contest for governor in the state since 2010.

Mandela Barnes has been a fixture in Wisconsin politics. He served two terms in the state Assembly before serving as Lieutenant Governor from 2019-2023, becoming the first Black person to hold the office. Barnes previously ran for Senate in 2022 and narrowly lost by only 1% less than 27,000 votes. Barnes positioned himself as a progressive during his Senate run, supporting the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

His loss in the Senate race has several Wisconsin Democrats questioning whether he should be running for state office again. The Milwaukee Courier, the city’s oldest Black-owned newspaper, preemptively ran an op-ed rejecting the idea of Mandela Barnes running for governor. “Mandela had his opportunity. He didn’t close. And that means it’s time for a new chapter,” the op-ed read.

Listen, I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m incredibly knowledgeable about Wisconsin politics, but I feel like framing a narrow loss as an outright failure is a bit harsh. As we’ve seen with the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York, progressive policies are becoming far more appealing as the cost-of-living crisis worsens. Who knows? 2022 wasn’t his time, but maybe the tides have shifted in 2025.

Mandela Barnes is set to begin a listening tour across Wisconsin this week, where his campaign said he will “listen to concerns about rising costs and share his vision to make Wisconsin more affordable for families.”