The stakes are high for Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Democrat Mandela Barnes heading into their first debate of the general election Friday, as polls show a nail-biter race between them.
Johnson has a slim edge over Barnes in the race for Wisconsin’s Senate seat, but many polls have pegged the race near the margin of error. The dramatic clash will air Friday starting at 8 p.m. EST and will be moderated by veteran newscaster Jill Geisler on over 70 stations. A second debate will be held between the candidates the following Thursday.
MANDELA BARNES ANNOUNCES $20 MILLION FUNDRAISING HAUL IN WISCONSIN SENATE RACE
Wisconsin’s Senate contest is regarded as one of the most critical in the fight for control of the upper chamber. Although an incumbent, Johnson won the seat in 2010 and 2016 by tight margins. In both of those election cycles, he was seemingly buoyed by national trends, including the 2010 red wave year and an apparent bump from former President Donald Trump.
Trump lost the Badger State in 2020, and Gov. Tony Evers (D) won the governorship in the time since Johnson’s last election, giving Democrats hope they could pick Johnson off and solidify their grip on the evenly divided Senate. Democrats have poured money into the race to prop up Barnes, who recently announced a whopping $20.1 million fundraising haul.
Typical issues of the election cycle, such as abortion, crime, the 2020 election, and inflation, have dominated the race. About a quarter of voters surveyed listed the preservation of democracy as their top issue, followed by inflation at 20%, abortion at 16%, election integrity at 7%, border security at 6%, and crime at 5%, according to a recent Fox News poll.
Barnes has pummeled Johnson on abortion over recent weeks, trying to keep the focus away from crime or other issues seen as advantageous to Republicans. Wisconsin has an 1849-era abortion ban on the books, but the issue appears to be on the lower echelon of search engine interest in the state.
Additionally, Wisconsin was subject to scrutiny from Trump and his allies in their bid to overturn the 2020 election. Johnson has faced scrutiny for texting one of Trump’s lawyers on the day of the Capitol riot. The senator was asked to deliver a package to then-Vice President Mike Pence but has downplayed the incident.
Meanwhile, Barnes has weathered criticism over recently resurfaced tweets, including one that appeared to scoff at House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) after the 2017 Congressional Baseball Game shooting.
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Barnes held a lead over Johnson for much of the summer, but that began to fall as the season shifted into fall. He is now trailing Johnson by 3 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
