House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) snapped back at Senate hopeful Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D-WI) following a resurfaced tweet in which Barnes appeared to scoff at Scalise after the 2017 Congressional Baseball Game shooting.
A recently resurfaced tweet Barnes posted in 2017 mused that Scalise was “taking one for the team” by not backing gun control measures despite the congressman suffering severe wounds from the baseball shooting. Scalise, in response, said Barnes should do some soul-searching.
RON JOHNSON GAINS NARROW LEAD OVER DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER AS RACE TIGHTENS: POLL
“That’s disgraceful. It says a lot more about his lack of character to be in essence condoning political violence. All of us should be standing up against political violence,” Scalise told Punchbowl News. “To say something like that, [Barnes] really needs to look in the mirror and reevaluate his lack of character.”
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel uncovered the tweet in a recent deep-dive into Barnes’s Twitter history. Barnes made his retort in response to an article from the Hill in which Scalise was quoted as reaffirming his stance in favor of gun rights.
At the time, Scalise was recovering from severe injuries stemming from the attack, which also wounded five others and resulted in the death of the shooter. The suspected gunman had been a volunteer on Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans from Congress had been in the field practicing for a game against the Democrats.
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
When shown Scalise’s reaction, Barnes stopped short of apologizing but explained that he was venting his frustration at the GOP for blocking more robust gun control measures.
“This is a very personal topic for me as someone who has experienced the pain of losing friends and loved ones to gun violence. My comments came from a place of frustration with politicians like Ron Johnson who see gun violence happen every day and turn their backs on solutions that would keep people safe,” he said.
Barnes is vying for one of the most hotly watched Senate seats in the country. He is facing incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Wisconsin is regarded as one of the most competitive battleground states in the country. President Joe Biden notably won the Badger State in 2020.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Johnson appears to have a slim edge on Barnes in the polls, leading by 2.3 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate. Given the 50-50 split in the upper chamber, the Wisconsin race could prove decisive in determining the balance of power in the Senate after the midterm elections.
The Washington Examiner reached out to representatives for Barnes and Scalise for comment.
