Mandela Barnes drops out of Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary

Mandela Barnes has dropped out of the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary less than two weeks before the August 11 election, a move that reshapes the race. His exit follows a poll showing rival Francesca Hong with a significant lead and comes as a newspaper prepared to report on allegations of sexual encounters. The decision complicates the election, as nearly 128,000 early votes have already been cast.

Barnes withdrawal from primary

• ▪The Wisconsin Democratic Party reviewed anonymous allegations about Barnes' sexual encounters in 2025.
• ▪Barnes' withdrawal occurred as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was preparing to report on anonymous allegations about his sexual encounters.
• ▪In 2022, Barnes benefited from a cleared field in the U.S. Senate primary but lost the general election to Republican Ron Johnson by under 27,000 votes.
• ▪Mandela Barnes dropped out of the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor on July 30, 2026.

Hong's polling lead

• ▪Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, has garnered strong support from the liberal wing of the Democratic party.
• ▪A Marquette Law School poll released on July 29, 2026, found Francesca Hong leading the Democratic primary field by a significant margin.
• ▪The same poll showed that about one-third of Democratic primary voters remained undecided.

Democratic field reshuffling

• ▪Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ended her campaign two weeks prior to Barnes' withdrawal amid a campaign finance scandal.
• ▪Barnes is the third Democrat to withdraw from the race, following Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former state economic development director Missy Hughes.

Crowley's campaign positioning

• ▪Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley re-entered the race after Sara Rodriguez dropped out and appealed to Barnes' supporters after his withdrawal.
• ▪Gov. Evers chose to endorse Crowley over Barnes, who served as his lieutenant governor in his first term.
• ▪Gov. Tony Evers has endorsed David Crowley, stating he was the best candidate even with Barnes in the race.

Early voting complications

• ▪By the time Barnes dropped out, nearly 128,000 voters had already returned absentee ballots and in-person early voting was on its third day.
• ▪A judge rejected a lawsuit on July 29, 2026, that would have allowed voters to cancel their absentee ballots and vote again.
• ▪Barnes' withdrawal came less than two weeks before the August 11 primary election.

General election outlook

• ▪The winner of the Democratic primary is expected to face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in the general election.
• ▪Tom Tiffany faces only nominal opposition in the Republican primary and has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

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