Earlier, we told you former Lt. Gov. and failed U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes dropped out of Wisconsin's governor's race, less than two weeks before the August 11 primary. Barnes, a Democrat, said in his announcement that he was suspending his campaign that it was clear who the nominee was going to be, although he did not name Francesca Hong specifically.
But now we have more information on what may have prompted Barnes, who is the only candidate who was polling ahead of Republican Tom Tiffany in the general election, and it's yet another Democratic sex scandal.
"The decision by Barnes came amid reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about a 2025 state Democratic Party review into allegations that Barnes was taking advantage of his role in the party to have sexual encounters with young adult women." https://t.co/pOYcFpZjif
— Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) July 30, 2026
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has ended his campaign for governor.
The decision by Barnes came amid reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel into allegations that Barnes was taking advantage of his role in the party to have sexual encounters with young adult women. The Journal Sentinel is continuing to report the story.
The state Democratic Party in 2025 hired a law firm to look into similar claims sent in a letter but the allegations they received were anonymous and unspecific. The letter was sent to the party, local party officials and media outlets, among others who examined the claims.
The party's internal review and outside probe found nothing actionable, according to a source familiar with the party's response. Barnes has not been accused of any crimes.
Barnes was Lt. Gov. under Tony Evers, who didn't endorse him and didn't even seem aware Barnes had dropped out earlier, saying he was "surprised" and that the reason must have been "relatively important."
"I heard it about 30 seconds ago. Yeah, surprised."
— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) July 30, 2026
NEW: Gov. Evers responding to @NickBohrWISN about Mandela Barnes dropping out: "I have to believe it's something relatively important."
Evers endorsed David Crowley: "He's the best candidate running even if Mandela was in." pic.twitter.com/w930mdLePY
Crowley and Evers are set to tour the state in the run-up to the primary.
Mandela Barnes leaves the guv race after receiving questions from the Journal Sentinel about allegations from sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity who said Barnes used his role in the party to seek out sexual encounters with young adult women. Barnes has not been…
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) July 30, 2026
But it turns out the state Democratic Party was looking into these claims for over a year, even hiring a law firm to investigate them.
The state Democratic Party in 2025 hired a law firm to look into similar claims. The internal review and outside probe found nothing actionable because the allegations they received were anonymous and unspecific, according to a source familiar with the party's actions.
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) July 30, 2026
While the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel does not specify how long ago these incidents were supposed to have happened, they did not surface in the 2018 governor's race when Barnes was Evers' running mate or in 2022, when Barnes opted not to seek reelection as Lt. Gov. and instead ran for the U.S. Senate. He lost to Sen. Ron Johnson.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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