Mandela Barnes has just suspended his campaign for governor, a little less than two weeks ahead of the August 11 primary. Barnes, who was once Lt. Gov. under Tony Evers, was consistently polling behind Francesca Hong by 20-plus points, and the last poll had him down nearly 30 points.
🚨 BREAKING — Mandela Barnes has dropped out of Wisconsin Governor Race.pic.twitter.com/hGf9Wf1yAr
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) July 30, 2026
"Last night, I had a very difficult conversation with my staff. Now, we're incredibly proud of the things that we've accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message," Barnes said. "But it's become very clear who our nominee is going to be. Now, I've said from the very beginning when I launched this campaign that the number one goal was taking on and defeating Tom Tiffany to deliver big wins for Democrats up and down the ticket."
"And now it's our time to come together to focus our efforts on that one goal," he continued, "We have to do everything to beat Tom Tiffany. This is life or death for Wisconsinites who are losing their healthcare under a Trump administration, people who can't afford childcare, the folks who are being squeezed by bills while the rich continue to get richer."
"Now I got in this race because we're living in a rigged system. The rich are getting richer while the rest of us are left scrambling for crumbs. I know this firsthand; that's why I've always fought for better as a legislator, as an organizer, and as your lieutenant governor. Now while I may be suspending this campaign, I'll never give up my fight for Wisconsin, and I'm incredibly grateful for all the folks who joined this campaign, for the people who believed in me and this movement, who knew that we had a real shot at creating opportunities through bold action to improve quality of life for every single person that calls this place home," Barnes said. "Now we have to do everything we possibly can to defeat Tom Tiffany, and that's exactly what I'm committed to doing for the next 96 days."
It's possible Barnes dropped out to help David Crowley, who was the second choice for most of Barnes' voters.
WI Governor Dem Primary - Second choice among Mandela Barnes voters
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) July 30, 2026
🟦 David Crowley: 27%
🟩 Francesca Hong: 26%
🟪 Kelda Roys: 8%
⬜️ Sara Rodriguez: 7% (dropped out)
🟫 Joel Brennan: 4%@StateNavigate | 7/23-26 | LV https://t.co/fZyHYZNTVK pic.twitter.com/dHmXMtT1iX
If he had dropped out earlier, Crowley might have had time to get the anti-Hong vote behind him.
It looks like someone saw the writing on the wall. Francesca Hong will be the nominee for Governor of Wisconsin. And by the way, he ended his campaign AFTER Rodriguez ended hers, so a lot of anti-Hong voters don't have the chance to consolidate!
— The Great Lakes Perspective 🇺🇸 (@LakePerspective) July 30, 2026
David Crowley is still cooked.… https://t.co/8hTId3Iuom
Now he's got 12 days to do that.
BREAKING: Mandela Barnes has ended his campaign for governor of Wisconsin, conceding that "it's clear" that radical socialist Francesca Hong will be the Democrat nominee. https://t.co/lNH2lxnTDK
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) July 30, 2026
He did not, you'll note, endorse Francesca Hong.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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