Mandela Barnes

Mandela Barnes
45th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
In office
January 7, 2019 – January 3, 2023
GovernorTony Evers
Preceded byRebecca Kleefisch
Succeeded bySara Rodriguez
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 11th district
In office
January 7, 2013 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byJason Fields
Succeeded byJason Fields
Personal details
Born
Jesse Mandela Barnes

(1986-12-01) December 1, 1986 (age 39)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Working Families
EducationAlabama A&M University (BA)
Signature
WebsiteCampaign website

Jesse Mandela Barnes (born December 1, 1986) is an American politician and community organizer. Barnes was the 45th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 2019 to 2023. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2013 to 2017.

Barnes unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 and Governor of Wisconsin in 2026.

Political career

Barnes voted for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in the 2016 and 2020 Wisconsin presidential primaries.

Barnes was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in the 2018 election running alongside Tony Evers and they won the general election in November 2018.

2022 U.S. Senate campaign

In July 2021, Barnes announced his candidacy for United States Senate in the 2022 election running against Republican Senator Ron Johnson. If elected, he would be the first Black person to represent Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate. In August 2022, he won the Democratic nomination. He narrowly lost the election to Johnson in November 2022.

2026 gubernatorial election

In December 2025, Barnes announced his candidacy for governor of Wisconsin in the 2026 gubernatorial election. He ended his campaign on July 30, 2026, days before the Democratic primary after bad polling numbers.

References

  1. ↑ "Democrat Tony Evers ousts Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker". Politico. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Mandela Barnes's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  3. ↑ @TheOtherMandela (April 8, 2020). "No regrets about having voted for him both times" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ Milwaukee, Urban. "Mandela Barnes Wins 2018 DPW Convention Straw Poll with 80.9% of the Vote". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ Schmidt, Mitchell; Vetterkind, Riley (July 20, 2021). "Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes joins crowded Democratic field for US Senate". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  6. ↑ "'A true believer': Why Mandela Barnes thinks his progressive ideas can win in purple Wisconsin". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  7. ↑ "Sen. Ron Johnson faces Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin general election". CNBC. August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ Schneider, Elena. "Mandela Barnes jumps into crowded race for Wisconsin governor". Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  9. ↑ Edelman, Adam (July 30, 2026). "Democrat Mandela Barnes drops out of the Wisconsin governor's race". NBC NEWS. Retrieved July 30, 2026.

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