MADISON — Mandela Barnes has dropped out of the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial race, leaving state Rep. Francesca Hong as the clear frontrunner ahead of the August 11 primary.
Barnes announced his exit after what he described as a difficult conversation with his staff.
"Last night I had a very difficult conversation with my staff."
Watch: Analysis after Mandela Barnes drops out of race:
He added that the path forward had become clear. "It's become very clear who our nominee is going to be."
Barnes did not name who he believed the nominee would be, but appeared to be suggesting Hong.
In a message to supporters on Facebook, Barnes said the race had always been about defeating Republican Tom Tiffany.
"I said from the very beginning when I launched this campaign that the number one goal was taking on and defeating Tom Tiffany, to deliver big wins for Democrats up and down the ticket."
Barnes had entered the race with name recognition, resources, and recent polling that showed him as the only Democrat leading Tiffany in a head-to-head matchup. However, he was a distant second in the Democratic primary behind Hong.
A Marquette poll showed 38% of Democratic voters supporting Hong, compared to 16% for Barnes and 7% for David Crowley. Joel Brennan and Kelda Roys each polled at 2%.
Barnes had been attempting a political comeback after losing the 2022 U.S. Senate race to Republican Ron Johnson — a loss some Democrats believed he should have won.
With Barnes out, the question becomes whether any remaining candidate can close the gap on Hong. Her supporters are described as locked in, giving her a sizable lead.
However, 36% of voters said they were still undecided in the Marquette poll.
Crowley is seen as having the best chance of mounting a challenge, but even if he were to pick up all of Barnes' former support — which is considered unlikely — he would still trail Hong by a significant margin. An endorsement from Gov. Tony Evers has not yet propelled Crowley into making the race more competitive.
The winner of the August 11 primary will likely face Tiffany, who has received the endorsement of the Wisconsin Republican Party and President Donald Trump.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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