For Wisconsin’s Mandela Barnes, Progressive Ties Risk Hurting Senate Bid

Stressing his working-class upbringing, the 35-year-old Mr. Barnes is campaigning totally on a message of financial alternative. Republicans, in the meantime, are attempting to tie him to his progressive historical past, as they level to his endorsements from Ms. Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

of New York.

Whereas the trio are vastly common amongst progressives, they’re considered with larger skepticism by the independents who’re more likely to resolve the Wisconsin race. An NBC Information nationwide ballot earlier this yr discovered 39% of registered voters can be much less more likely to help a candidate endorsed by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, whereas 22% can be extra probably.

“Mandela Barnes will converse out of either side of his mouth to persuade voters that he’s a reasonable, however Barnes has earned the help of extremists like AOC and Bernie Sanders as a result of he desires to abolish ICE, finish money bail and impose fringe-left insurance policies,” stated Mark Jefferson, govt director of the Republican Occasion of Wisconsin, referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement company.

Republicans are additionally highlighting a 2019 look he made in Minneapolis with Rep.

Ilhan Omar

of Minnesota, a member of the “Squad” of progressives within the Home that features Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Mr. Barnes referred to as Ms. Omar, who supported dismantling the Minneapolis Police Division and reallocating its sources, good in a tweet documenting the visit.

Requested about his ties to nationwide progressives, Mr. Barnes pointed to endorsements he has acquired from more-centrist Democrats equivalent to Home Majority Whip

Jim Clyburn

of South Carolina. He additionally famous backing from reasonable Wisconsin Democrats, help he referred to as extra essential than that from nationwide figures.

“We’re constructing a broad coalition as a result of that’s what it’s going to take to beat Ron Johnson,” he stated. “It’s not about labels. It’s about who’s been on high, and all people else who’s been left on the backside. And the working-class values are what issues probably the most on this marketing campaign.”

A Marquette Legislation College ballot in mid-June discovered that Mr. Barnes remains to be one thing of a clean slate to many within the state. Within the survey, 57% of respondents didn’t know sufficient about him to kind an opinion, which might go away him extra weak to Republican makes an attempt to outline him.

Ben Voelkel, a senior adviser to Mr. Johnson’s marketing campaign, referred to as Mr. Barnes a “progressive puppet” who’s campaigning on “a socialist’s want checklist.”

Regardless of not but being well-known by many citizens, Mr. Barnes was discovered within the Marquette ballot to be in a statistical tie with Mr. Johnson in what was then a hypothetical matchup. The survey had an analogous end result amongst impartial voters.

Wisconsin, which recorded the third-narrowest end result within the 2020 presidential election, has elected each progressives and conservatives to statewide workplace. In 2018, it re-elected Democratic Sen.

Tammy Baldwin,

the primary brazenly homosexual particular person to serve within the Senate and one of many chamber’s most liberal members, by virtually 11 share factors.

Mr. Barnes, the son of a public-school instructor and assembly-line employee, has labored as a neighborhood organizer and served 4 years within the state Meeting, representing a part of Milwaukee. He was elected to his present put up on a 2018 ticket that beat Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

If elected in November, Mr. Barnes can be the first-ever Black senator from Wisconsin. His choice because the Democratic nominee can be consistent with the celebration’s progressive tendencies lately.

Mr. Johnson, 67, who’s in search of a 3rd time period, will likely be campaigning in a nationwide atmosphere favorable to Republicans, whereas additionally confronting a number of the worst ballot scores of his profession. The Marquette survey discovered 37% of registered voters view him favorably, whereas 46% maintain an unfavorable view. His favorability ranking within the state is decrease than that of President Biden, who’s considered positively by 42% and negatively by 54%.

All through the first, Mr. Barnes has been probably the most progressive-minded candidates. His nearest rival for that title was Tom Nelson, the highest elected official in a county southwest of Inexperienced Bay, Wis., who was a 2020 delegate for Mr. Sanders. Mr. Nelson endorsed Mr. Barnes after suspending his marketing campaign on the finish of July.

One other earlier high candidate,

Alex Lasry,

additionally dropped out on the finish of July and endorsed Mr. Barnes. Mr. Lasry, whose father is a billionaire hedge-fund supervisor and a co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball workforce, had run a extra center-left marketing campaign.

State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, who had polled effectively behind Messrs. Barnes and Lasry, suspended her marketing campaign July 29 and endorsed Mr. Barnes. Her marketing campaign had additionally been extra center-left.

Republicans have highlighted that Mr. Barnes backs Medicare for All, a proposal promoted by progressives and opposed by Mr. Biden that might create a single-payer nationwide health-insurance plan.

They’ve additionally pointed to previous progressive-leaning social-media postings from Mr. Barnes, together with one during which he is holding a T-shirt with the slogan “abolish ICE,” common with those that wish to get rid of the company. Mr. Barnes has stated he doesn’t help dissolving ICE.

He tweeted in 2020 that “defunding the police solely desires of being as radical as a

Donald Trump

pardon,” a reference to a progressive rallying cry that has confirmed politically poisonous for Democrats. Mr. Barnes has since stated that he doesn’t help defunding the police and needs to see larger funding in crime prevention.

On the marketing campaign path and in his promoting, Mr. Barnes has largely averted hot-button liberal points and as a substitute burdened his need to spice up manufacturing jobs and defend abortion rights.

Like Mr. Barnes, Mr. Johnson could have his personal relationships and previous statements to elucidate to voters. The incumbent is carefully aligned with Mr. Trump and has at occasions backed the previous president’s false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020.

Mr. Trump was considered unfavorably by 56% of registered voters within the Marquette ballot, together with by 59% of independents.

Mr. Johnson didn’t attend an look by Mr. Trump in suburban Milwaukee on Friday to advertise the businessman

Tim Michels,

a candidate for the GOP’s nomination for governor to problem Democratic Gov.

Tony Evers.

The senator has stated he doesn’t endorse in contested Republican primaries, and Mr. Michels is competing in opposition to a number of others for the nomination. Polling reveals his high opponent is former Lt. Gov.

Rebecca Kleefisch,

who has been endorsed by former Vice President

Mike Pence.

Write to John McCormick at mccormick.john@wsj.com