We gotta post this article ASAP before someone else drops out of the Democratic Primary for U.S Senate!!!
Democratic U.S. Senate Primary frontrunner, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, has had a better week than anyone else in American politics!
Not only did two of his Primary opponents decide to drop out of the race, including his biggest challenger, they BOTH chose to endorse Barnes upon dropping out!
First Tom Nelson who was polling in a distant 4th place and now Alex Lasry who was polling in 2nd - seemingly the only challenger with a shot at catching Barnes - have both dropped out and joined Team Barnes.
Not to be forgotten, State Senator Chris Larson was the first U.S. Senate candidate to drop out of the race back in August 2021. He, too, endorsed Mandela Barnes when he dropped out. So joining Team Barnes after admitting defeat is a long-standing tradition in this race. Drop out. Endorse The Other Mandela.
The departures of Nelson and Lasry leaves State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski who had been polling 3rd by most accounts sliding into 2nd and long-shot 5th place candidate Steven Olikara sliding into 3rd.
However, with Lasry dropping out, Barnes dodges the greatest concern of the Barnes-Lasry friendly rivalry which was splitting the greater Milwaukee-area Democratic vote. While voters don’t always follow their candidate’s endorsement when they withdraw from the race, every indication is that all the momentum is swinging towards the candidacy of Mandela Barnes.
Polling unanimously showed Barnes with a secure lead throughout the entire campaign. When Primary voters jump ship from their preferred candidate (voluntarily or involuntarily) they tend to swim for the sturdiest life raft. Right now, Barnes is looking like a state of the art aircraft carrier welcoming marooned Democratic Primary voters with open arms.
Meanwhile Godlewski cannot seem to gain any additional traction. The overturning of Roe v. Wade seemed like it was gift wrapped for her campaign and passionately embracing the issue has taken them nowhere. You can never rule out a surprise on Primary Election days - especially a mid-term primary where turnout is historically lower and accordingly more difficult to predict. However, polling shows Barnes with a strong and likely growing lead that borders on insurmountable even with a surprisingly unexpected showing.
With the Primary just a couple weeks away on August 9th, it seems all but certain that Mandela Barnes will be the Democrat to face Republican incumbent Senator Ron Johnson in November.
In some ways Mandela Barnes - an avid distance runner - won this race with strategic endurance. He got ahead early, maintained his pace, and never had any significant stumbles. It will be much more difficult when he leaves the comfort of the Democratic field and has to face an aggressive, well-financed incumbent in Senator Ron Johnson, who now has 12 years of U.S. Senate experience.
All things remaining constant, the Johnson-Barnes match-up should give all Wisconsinites a lot to think about before they head to the polls in November.
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