A new Marquette University Law School Poll in Wisconsin finds Mandela Barnes (D) leading the Democratic U.S. Senate primary with 19%, followed by Alex Lasry (D) at 16%, Sarah Godlewski (D) at 7% and Tom Nelson (D) at 5%.
Said pollster Charles Franklin: “And 48% still don’t know who they’ll vote for. That’s unchanged.”
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D), who is running for U.S. Senate against Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), “has tried to stake out his place as a liberal candidate seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“But Barnes is now distancing himself from two unpopular, far-left political movements — defunding police and abolishing ICE — despite support from groups backing these efforts and past social media activity referencing these causes.”
Charlie Sykes: “This is how Ron Johnson gets another six years in the U.S. Senate.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) “released a pair of television ads Monday attempting to frame his reelection campaign he announced the day before as being about fixing a broken country, even as Democrats hit him for breaking his pledge not to serve more than two terms and tried to paint him as an out-of-touch millionaire,” the AP reports.
“The early salvos come in a race in a nearly evenly divided Wisconsin that’s expected to be one of the most expensive and hotly contested in the country with control of the U.S. Senate at play.”
“At a time when Democrats and Republicans can agree on little, they find themselves in rare consensus in Wisconsin: Seemingly everyone there wants Sen. Ron Johnson (R) to run for a third term,” The Hill reports.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who heads the Senate Republican campaign effort, said he thinks Sen. Ron Johnson will run for re-election, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Said Scott: “I think he’s going to run and I think he’ll decide in the next few months.”
“Wisconsin Republicans are waiting anxiously for Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) to make a decision on whether he will run for reelection and are quietly considering backup plans in case he doesn’t run,” The Hill reports.
“Republican names have been floated as possible replacements, including Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Marine veteran and former Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson, former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) and former Senate candidate Eric Hovde.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told the Wisconsin State Journal: “I want to make sure that this U.S. Senate seat is retained in Republican hands. You see what the media’s doing to me. I may not be the best candidate. I wouldn’t run if I don’t think I could win, if I don’t think I was the best person to be able to win.”
He also added: “I feel really bad that I’ve been here now probably 11 years and we’ve doubled the debt.”
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) jumped into the Democratic race for U.S. Senate early Tuesday, vowing to “change the game” while promising to continue a fight against inequality, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board called Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) “the most irresponsible representative of Wisconsin citizens since the infamous Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy in the 1950s.”
“Johnson’s proclamations, most uttered in the safe bubble of conservative media, served a purpose: He ingratiated himself with Trump loyalists in Wisconsin, voters he will need if he breaks his promise and runs for a third term next year.”
“Whether or not Johnson believes the nonsense he spews, there is little doubt he seeks to benefit politically from this cynical theater.”
“Sen. Ron Johnson preached unity and positivity to the party faithful at the state Republican convention on Saturday, painting Democrats as an angry party bent on fundamentally changing the United States,” the Madison Capital Times reports.
“Johnson said he’s ‘more panicked’ than ever about the state of the country, having run for the first time in 2010 based on the same fears.”
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “More and more, there are signs that Mandela Barnes is looking to jump into the race.”
“Barnes recently hired Kory Kozloski as a political adviser to help guide him through the process as he weighs the decision. Kozloski is an experienced political hand with statewide and national credentials.”
The Atlantic: “Ron Johnson has brought Republicans and Democrats together: They all seem to agree that they want the senator from Wisconsin to run for a third term next year.”
“Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski launched her campaign for Senate on Wednesday, jumping into what’s expected to be a contentious Democratic primary as Republicans eagerly await word on whether Sen. Ron Johnson will seek a third term,” CNN reports.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told the Wisconsin State Journal that he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll run for his seat in 2022, although he said keeping to his pledge to not seek a third term is “probably my preference now.”
However, Johnson also said his pledge of serving just two terms is no longer operative: “I think that pledge was based on the assumption we wouldn’t have Democrats in total control of government and we’re seeing what I would consider the devastating and harmful effects of Democrats total control just ramming things through.”
Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) is mulling a U.S. Senate run, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has not yet announced if he’ll seek a third term next year.
There are three Democrats in the race: Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, County Executive Tom Nelson and Dr. Gillian Battino.
“Reince Priebus has been calling key GOP officials and operatives in Wisconsin the past week and signaling he’s seriously exploring a bid for governor of his home state in 2022,” Politico reports.
“Priebus’ biggest selling point presumably would be the support of former President Donald Trump — the two patched things up after Priebus was fired by the president back in 2017. Former Wisconsin GOP Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch is widely expected to run and is seen as a potential Republican front-runner, but Priebus would be formidable in a primary with Trump’s support. Incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is likely to seek a second term.”
Alex Lasry (D), a senior executive of the Milwaukee Bucks, announced that he is running for Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-WI) Senate seat in the 2022 midterms.
Lasry is also the son of the basketball team’s co-owner, Marc Lasry.
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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