Republicans are building momentum in important Senate races as the midterm elections approach. Part of that is thanks to bad Democratic candidates, such as Wisconsin’s Mandela Barnes.
Barnes, the sitting lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, is running against Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. Aside from Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, Barnes may be the worst Democratic candidate in a competitive race. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called Barnes a “class millennial” who “loves social media.” Given the tweets that the outlet found, Republican operatives must love it as well.
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Barnes said the pandemic, which threw millions into unemployment, set back children’s educations, and resulted in the deaths of more than 1 million Americans, should be treated as an opportunity to “drastically reimagine society.” He suggested that the 2016 presidential election was “rigged” and declared that former President Donald Trump is a Russian spy. He hates George Washington, “could not care less” about the Second Amendment, and mocked Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) for getting shot because he opposes gun control.
The election was, rigged?
— Mandela Barnes (@TheOtherMandela) November 9, 2016
Yeah. I mean, if slave owning is your thing, have at it! https://t.co/TLWCW0OSw5
— Mandela Barnes (@TheOtherMandela) December 12, 2019
Taking one for the team. I question how people vote against self interest but this is next level. He literally almost died on this hill. https://t.co/Xx8ZQXuvzM
— Mandela Barnes (@TheOtherMandela) October 4, 2017
Barnes also said in 2019 that Rep. Ilhan Omar, the antisemitic conspiracy theorist congresswoman from Minnesota, is “exactly who we need in Congress right now.” Barnes attacked police officers for the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, claiming that the shooting was racially motivated. Blake was armed with a knife and disregarding police instructions after violating a restraining order against a woman he was accused of sexually assaulting.
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Were Barnes running in a solidly blue state, his loopy liberal positions would not be a burden. Sheldon Whitehouse is a senator from Rhode Island, after all. But Wisconsin is a competitive state, and Twitter talking points don’t play as well when voters are concerned about inflation and crime. Barnes held a lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average up until September. He hasn’t led in the last five polls of the race, and three of those polls have Johnson leading by 4 points or more. If there’s any truth to the polls, this one is turning into a rout.
Barnes is yet another Democratic candidate who plays well in liberal circles and just about nowhere else. He doesn’t belong anywhere near the U.S. Senate, and, thankfully, voters in Wisconsin appear to be reaching the same conclusion.
