Mandela Barnes

Barnes was born in Milwaukee on December 1, 1986,[2] the son of a public school teacher and a United Auto Workers member. He attended the private Holy Redeemer school in Milwaukee, as well as Milwaukee Public Schools, including John Marshall High School, and Alabama A&M University, however he never graduated due to incomplete coursework. He worked for various political campaigns and in the office of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, eventually becoming an organizer for M.I.C.A.H., a Milwaukee-based interfaith coalition that advocates social justice.[3] Barnes served as the Deputy Director of Strategic Engagement for State Innovation Exchange, a national progressive public policy organization based in Madison.

Barnes was active in a number of organizations serving the greater Milwaukee Area including: the NEWaukee Advisory Board, Social X Advisory Board, the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Advisory Board Member for the New Leaders Council, Community Advisory Board Member for the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility, NAACP, and the Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals. He also serves as the 2nd Vice Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Barnes in 2013

In April 2012 Barnes announced his candidacy for Wisconsin State Assembly District 11, representing the north side of Milwaukee and a small part of Wauwatosa, challenging incumbent Jason Fields in the Democratic Party primary election.[4] Barnes's campaign made major issues of Fields's support for the school voucher program and opposition to limiting interest rates charged by payday loan companies, whose charges can exceed a 500% annual percentage rate.[5][6]

Barnes defeated Fields in the August 2012 primary with 2,596 votes to Fields's 1,206.[7] His win was seen as a loss for the pro-voucher American Federation for Children, which pumped over $100,000 into primaries in greater Milwaukee to support candidates, none of whom won.[8] In the November general election Barnes ran unopposed.[9] He received 16,403 votes to 201 scattered votes for others.[10]

Barnes was reelected in 2014 without a primary or general election challenge.[11]

Barnes served on the Assembly Committees on Corrections, Education, Jobs & the Economy, and Small Business Development. He also served as the chairman of the Legislature's Black and Latino Caucus and helped lead a number of international delegations to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.[12]

Barnes authored numerous pieces of legislation during his time in office, including reforms to the parental choice program, juvenile justice reforms, a new grant program for community prosecutors, extending out-of-home care for youth in the foster system, early release reforms, ending the use of solitary confinement in prisons, expanding victim and witness advocacy services, establishing a community schools grant program, investigation of juvenile corrections programs and facilities, expanding eligibility for the earned income tax credit, providing tuition-free enrollment for technical college students, creating an Office of Civil Service, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, decriminalization of marijuana, and comprehensive gun control legislation.[13]

In 2015 protester and videographer Miles Kristan recorded video of himself asking Barnes in public "if Wisconsin taxpayers should pay for a Bucks arena," regarding Barnes's vote to fund the future Fiserv Forum. After the encounter, Barnes confronted Kristan and seemingly pushed him. Barnes said he pushed Kristan's camera away but did not assault him.[14][15]

On April 11, 2016, Barnes announced that he would resign from the Assembly to launch a primary challenge against Lena Taylor, the Democratic incumbent in Wisconsin State Senate District 4. Some political observers, such as professor and former State Senator Mordecai Lee, expressed surprise, noting both the rarity of Democratic Senate primaries and the 90% reelection rate for incumbents in Wisconsin.[16] Some also framed the race as reflective of the broader struggle in the Democratic Party, pitting a young progressive challenger against an older, more centrist incumbent.[17]

Barnes lost to Taylor by a wide margin in the August 9 election, with 7,433 votes to Taylor's 11,454.[18]

Barnes (at rear) with other elected officials at a March For Our Lives event

In January 2018 Barnes announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor of Wisconsin in the 2018 election.[19] He was endorsed by U.S. Representative Mark Pocan, State Senators Tim Carpenter, Jon Erpenbach, La Tonya Johnson, Chris Larson, and Bob Wirch, and over 23 Democratic members of the Wisconsin State Assembly, including former gubernatorial candidate Dana Wachs. Barnes was also endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers Local 212, Communications Workers of America, Democracy for America, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI), International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Auto Workers WI State CAP Council, and the Wisconsin Working Families Party.[20][21]

In June 2018 Barnes won the Democratic Party of Wisconsin straw poll with 80.9% of the vote, earning 617 out of 763 votes.[22] During the primary, his name was omitted from three newspaper election notices in different counties. The day before the election, his picture was used in a local news report about a fatal motorcycle crash.[23]

On August 14, 2018, he won the Democratic primary in a landslide against Sheboygan businessman Kurt Kober, and became the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Tony Evers. Evers and Barnes went on to win the November 2018 election, defeating incumbent Republicans Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch.[24] Barnes became Wisconsin's first African American lieutenant governor.[25][26]