Mandela Barnes

By Milwaukee Courier Staff

In 2022, Mandela Barnes had his shot.

He was our Lieutenant Governor. He had every advantage. The primary field cleared for him to be the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. And still—he lost. By just over 26,000 votes. That alone might be forgivable.

But let’s not forget the part that too many gloss over: he ran 50,000 votes behind Governor Tony Evers in that same election. In Milwaukee County—where Mandela is from—he still ran behind Evers.

That’s the hard truth: even here, he couldn’t finish the deal.

Now, we’re hearing that Mandela is preparing to run for Governor in 2026. With Donald Trump back in the White House, rolling back civil rights and gutting everything we care about, we cannot afford a risk. Not now. Not with the stakes this hi

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