Democrat Mandela Barnes drops out of Wisconsin governor’s race

Barnes, the former lieutenant governor and 2022 Senate nominee, departs amid democratic socialist Francesca Hong’s rise in the polls ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.

Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes announced Thursday that he is dropping out of the Democratic race for governor less than two weeks out from the primary.

“Last night I had a very difficult conversation with staff,” Barnes said in a video on X. “We’re incredibly proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message. But it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be.”

That statement is a clear nod to state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist who has expanded her polling lead ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.

Barnes’ decision to exit the race is just the latest major development to rock what has been a volatile Democratic primary to replace outgoing Gov. Tony Evers in the key battleground state.

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, whom more moderate Democrats saw as a leading contender, dropped out of the contest this month following the discovery of major inaccuracies related to the campaign’s financial reporting. That prompted Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to re-enter the race with Evers’ endorsement days after he had ended his campaign.