Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor, announced Thursday he is withdrawing from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor, altering the contest with the election just under two weeks away.
Barnes made the announcement in a video shared on Facebook, stating, "It's become very clear who our nominee is going to be." His departure follows a Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday that showed democratic socialist Francesca Hong leading Barnes and other candidates. The poll also indicated that roughly one-third of primary voters remained undecided.
Barnes is the third Democrat to exit the race. Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez ended her campaign two weeks ago amid a campaign finance scandal, and Missy Hughes, a former state economic development director, withdrew in June.
Following Rodriguez's withdrawal, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley re-entered the race. Crowley received the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers, who had previously endorsed Crowley over Barnes, his former lieutenant governor. Evers stated Thursday that Crowley remained the best candidate, even with Barnes in the contention.
Evers expressed surprise at Barnes' decision, telling reporters, "But he needs to do what he needs to do. I don’t know why he’s getting out. I have to believe it’s something relatively important."
Hong has not yet responded to requests for comment. Joel Brennan, another candidate in the primary, commented that the race has garnered more attention for its internal disruptions than for the election's critical issues.
The developments come as nearly 128,000 voters have already cast absentee ballots and early in-person voting has begun. A judge recently rejected a lawsuit, supported by the Democratic Party, that sought to allow voters who had already submitted absentee ballots to cancel and recast them.
The winner of the Democratic primary is anticipated to face U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, who has minimal opposition in the Republican primary and holds the endorsement of President Donald Trump. Tiffany has not yet responded to requests for comment.
In 2022, Barnes benefited from other candidates withdrawing from the Democratic Senate primary to consolidate support. He ultimately lost the general election to Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson by fewer than 27,000 votes.