Mandela Barnes Enters Wisconsin Governor Race, Launches Listening Tour to Tackle Affordability

Former Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes announced Tuesday that he is running for governor, joining a crowded Democratic primary to replace Gov. Tony Evers. Barnes, 39, framed his campaign as a response to the “chaos” of the Trump era and said affordability will be a central focus of his bid.

“Seems like the harder you work, the more Washington looks the other way: lower taxes for billionaires, higher prices for working people. Under Trump, the name of the game has been distraction and chaos to avoid accountability,” Barnes said in his campaign launch video.

“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. 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.”

Barnes served as Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2023, the first Black person to hold that office in the state. Before that he served two terms in the state Assembly representing a Milwaukee-area district. He narrowly lost the 2022 U.S. Senate race to Sen. Ron Johnson by about 1 percentage point — just under 27,000 votes — and has stayed politically active through a political action committee that supports younger candidates, candidates of color, LGBTQ+ candidates and working-class organizers.

His entry into the governor’s race, long anticipated, expands an already large Democratic field vying to replace 74-year-old Gov. Tony Evers, who announced he would not seek a third term. Democratic contenders include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez; Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley; state Sen. Kelda Roys, who ran for governor in 2018; state Rep. Francesca Hong, who identifies as a democratic socialist; and Missy Hughes, former CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. On the Republican side, candidates include Rep. Tom Tiffany and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann among others.

The primaries are expected to be competitive. Wisconsin is one of five states President Trump won where a Democratic-held governorship will be on the 2026 ballot, and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the contest a “toss up.” For the first time in more than a decade, the 2026 elections could also determine partisan control of the state Legislature.

Barnes said he will immediately begin a listening tour with stops in Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay to hear voters’ concerns about rising costs and to share his plan to make Wisconsin more affordable for families. His progressive record drew Republican attacks during his Senate bid — including criticism of positions such as support for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and eliminating cash bail — and some Democrats questioned whether he should seek statewide office again after the narrow 2022 loss.

As the field takes shape, Barnes’ campaign aims to position him as a pragmatic progressive focused on concrete economic relief for working families and rebuilding trust with voters frustrated by national political turmoil.