BadgerBrief
← Governor of Wisconsin
Mandela Barnes

Photo: Susan Ruggles / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Mandela Barnes

Democratic

Former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin

Who is Mandela Barnes?

Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (2019–2023), the first Black Wisconsinite to hold the office; former state Assembly representative from Milwaukee; narrowly lost the 2022 U.S. Senate race; announced his run for governor December 2, 2025 and is widely viewed as the Democratic frontrunner

Entered the race December 2, 2025. Sunshine committee 'Mandela for Wisconsin' still shows his prior Lieutenant Governor registration; gubernatorial campaign finance expected in the July 29, 2026 pre-primary filing.

Where does Mandela Barnes stand on the issues?

abortionsupport

Barnes pledges to repeal Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban and to protect reproductive freedom.

Position sources (1)
economy-jobssupport

Barnes emphasizes lowering costs and restoring access to middle class life, framing his candidacy around economic affordability for Wisconsin residents.

Position sources (1)
educationsupport

Barnes proposes fully funding public schools, sunsetting the voucher program, providing property tax relief, and expanding tuition assistance programs.

Position sources (1)
elections-democracysupport

Barnes led a voter turnout organizing project focused on turning out infrequent voters in Wisconsin.

Position sources (1)
environment-energysupport

Barnes chaired the Governor's Task Force on Climate Change and has worked to lower energy costs by investing in clean energy and promoting cleaner air.

Position sources (1)
healthcaresupport

Barnes states he will work to bring down healthcare costs and expand access, referencing past efforts to boost BadgerCare enrollment.

Position sources (1)
housingsupport

Barnes calls for building more homes, stopping out-of-state hedge funds from pricing out residents, and providing tax credits and loans for first-time homebuyers.

Position sources (1)
immigrationsupport

Barnes states he would stop ICE from operating in ways he says make Wisconsin less safe as part of his public safety agenda.

Position sources (1)
public-safetysupport

Barnes states an intent to keep communities safe, citing his experience in state government.

Position sources (1)
taxes-budgetsupport

Barnes proposes closing tax loopholes for out-of-state corporations, creating a new tax bracket for millionaires, taxing large estates, and cutting taxes for middle-class families.

Position sources (1)

Top reported contributors

  • Elizabeth Diane Simons (Atherton)$20,000
  • Anne Abramson (Washington)$20,000
  • Ashish Shaskikant Patel (Carlisle)$20,000
  • Lynda Resnick (Los Angeles)$20,000
  • Benjamin Ryan (Janesville)$20,000
Show 5 more
  • Andrew Welters (Mclean)$15,000
  • Mark Kuhn (Durham)$10,000
  • Cynthia Kuhn (Durham)$10,000
  • Cynthia Snell (Boulder)$10,000
  • Thomas Erickson (Prides Crossing)$10,000

Source: WI Ethics Commission (Sunshine) · non-commercial voter education use

Top organization & PAC donors

  • End Citizens United Non-Federal (Washington)PAC/Committee$5,000
  • Advancing Democracy and Mobilization PAC (DC)Unregistered$5,000
  • Latino Leaders for Equality, Growth, Opportunity, Progressive Action & Change (Washington)Unregistered$5,000
  • March On PAC (Washington)Unregistered$3,000
  • ALSOPAC (Upper Marlboro)PAC/Committee$2,500
Show 5 more
  • Friends of Mark Chambers (Milwaukee)PAC/Committee$2,500
  • FDM Connects (Santa Monica)$1,046
  • Calltime.ai (Visalia)$225
  • Karlyns Gallery LLC (Washburn)$100
  • Educators Credit Union (Racine)Depository/Bank$2

Source: WI Ethics Commission (Sunshine) · non-commercial voter education use

Political ads about Mandela Barnes

Ads a BadgerBrief editor confirmed are about Mandela Barnes, from the Meta Ad Library. Spend is the range Meta discloses.

Supporting ~$198 · 4 adsAttacking ~$50 · 1 ad
  • Attack$0–$99

    True North News

    🚨 A years-old clip of Mandela Barnes calling the founding of America "awful" is being recirculated ahead of the July 4th holiday, drawing renewed attention as Barnes campaigns for Wisconsin governor in 2026. The footage originates from an August 2021 speech by Barnes, then serving as Wisconsin's lieutenant governor. In the clip, Barnes states: "The founding of this nation? Awful. You know, but we are here now and we should commit ourselves to doing everything we can do to repair the harm because it still exists ." Barnes cited slavery and colonization as examples of harms whose impacts "are felt today." The clip was first published during Barnes' 2022 U.S. Senate campaign — which he lost to incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson — and is now being reshared by @HeartlandPostWI on the eve of July 4, 2026. A spokesperson for Barnes' 2022 campaign said: "Painting the Lt. Governor's comment as anything other than a condemnation of slavery is a sad GOP attempt to distract." Barnes, who made history as the first African American to serve as Wisconsin's lieutenant governor, announced his 2026 gubernatorial candidacy on December 2, 2025, and is considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the Wisconsin governor's race a "toss up." Do Barnes' past remarks about America's founding change how you view his 2026 gubernatorial campaign? 👇 #MandelaBarnes #Wisconsin #WIGov #July4th #WisconsinPolitics #Breaking

    View ad on Meta ↗
  • Support$0–$99

    Mandela Barnes

    Paid for by Mandela for Wisconsin

    This race for Wisconsin Governor is a pure TOSS-UP. I’m fighting like hell to put in the miles we need to win this race. But without support from folks like you, we will fall short. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 $𝟭𝟬 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘆’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀? →

    View ad on Meta ↗
  • Support$0–$99

    Mandela Barnes

    Paid for by Mandela for Wisconsin

    I’m running for Governor to put Wisconsin’s working families first. If you’re with me, please chip in $10 or any amount you can to help me defeat MAGA Tom Tiffany and deliver the Wisconsin every working family deserves.

    View ad on Meta ↗
  • Support$0–$99

    Mandela Barnes

    Paid for by Mandela for Wisconsin

    This race for Wisconsin Governor is a pure TOSS-UP. I’m fighting like hell to put in the miles we need to win this race. But without support from folks like you, we will fall short. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 $𝟭𝟬 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘆’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀? →

    View ad on Meta ↗
  • Support$0–$99

    Mandela Barnes

    Paid for by Mandela for Wisconsin

    This race for Wisconsin Governor is a pure TOSS-UP. I’m fighting like hell to put in the miles we need to win this race. But without support from folks like you, we will fall short. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 $𝟭𝟬 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘆’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀? →

    View ad on Meta ↗

Sources

Last updated: