A Reexamination of Mandela Barnes’ 2022 Senate Campaign

I'm Dan Schaefer, let's recombobulate.

We are just about one year away from the 2026 midterm elections.

The Democratic field in the race for governor is very nearly set.

Just one major decision looms and that's the one from former lieutenant governor Mandela

Barnes.

Barnes seems likely to run for governor and because of that his 2022 run for US Senate

warrants a fresh re-examination.

So in a new column at the recombobulation area, I took a closer look back at that race

and his campaign.

Barnes lost to Ron Johnson by about 1%.

In one of the closest elections we've ever had for Senate in Wisconsin, it was a near

miss that reflected both Barnes' potential and limitations.

In retrospect, I think his campaign managed to be both overrated and underrated at the

same time.

Underrated in the sense that he was unfairly maligned in his effort to unseat a well-funded

two-term incumbent, overrated in how the campaign made certain strategic errors that proved

costly in the end.

If Barnes does indeed run again in a statewide race, he's going to have to do things differently

in order to win.

Find all of Dan's work at the recombobulation area.