MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s former lieutenant governor dropped out of the tumultuous Democratic primary for governor Thursday as news broke that the state Democratic Party last year reviewed anonymous allegations about his sexual encounters.
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Mandela Barnes’s departure from the race underscores the strength of democratic socialist Francesa Hong, the front-runner in the Aug. 11 primary.
Barnes, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2022, announced in an online video Thursday that he is leaving the race. “It’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be,” he said, referring to Hong.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Thursday that the state Democratic Party looked into allegations in 2025 that Barnes had taken advantage of his role in the party for sexual encounters with women.
A spokesman for Barnes’s campaign said, “There are no allegations of misconduct or wrongdoing against Mandela.”
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The party had outside counsel review an anonymous letter it received with the allegations but determined they were too vague to be verified and did not take further action, two people familiar with the party’s activities told The Washington Post. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation.
The Democratic primary race has been raucous and full of twists. This month, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley suspended his campaign and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. A little over a week later, Rodriguez dropped out, saying her past campaign finance reports were wrong and she had far less money than she had claimed. Crowley then jumped back in the race — this time with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers (D), who is not seeking reelection.
None of it has put a stop to Hong, a three-term state representative who argues that an outspoken democratic socialist can win a swing state that Donald Trump has won twice. Races in the state are often won by a percentage point or less, and establishment Democrats have fretted about Hong’s ability to compete against the expected Republican nominee, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.
Democratic primary voters appear firmly behind Hong. Hong had 38 percent of likely primary voters in a July 22-27 poll by Marquette University Law School. Barnes had 16 percent and Crowley had 7 percent. Two other candidates had 2 percent each, and about third were undecided.
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