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Mandela Barnes
Democratic · Governor, Wisconsin
2026 General Election
Mandela Barnes served as Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor from 2019 to 2023 under Governor Tony Evers. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, narrowly losing to incumbent Ron Johnson by less than one percentage point in one of the most competitive Senate races of the cycle. A Milwaukee native, he served in the Wisconsin State Assembly before becoming lieutenant governor. He is the leading Democratic candidate for governor in 2026 as Governor Evers chose not to seek a third term.
Views on the Issues
Gov. Barnes’s stated positions alongside Democratic and Republican party platforms. Sources cited below each position. MyPolity does not editorialize.
Democratic Platform
Mandela Barnes
Republican Platform
Economy & Taxes
Democratic Platform
Democrats support progressive taxation, with higher rates on top earners and corporations to fund public investment. The party favors raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and expanding worker protections. Democrats generally support government investment in infrastructure, education, and social programs as drivers of broad economic growth.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports investment in Wisconsin's manufacturing sector, workforce development, and clean energy economy as paths to broad-based economic growth. He backs raising the minimum wage, strengthening worker protections, and supporting unions, arguing that Wisconsin's prosperity depends on workers sharing in economic growth. He supports targeted public investment in infrastructure and education as foundations for a competitive Wisconsin economy.Republican Platform
Republicans favor lower taxes across income levels, with particular emphasis on cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate investment and job creation. The party supports deregulation, reduced government spending, and free market solutions over federal programs as the primary engine of prosperity.Healthcare
Democratic Platform
Democrats support expanding access to affordable healthcare, including protecting the Affordable Care Act and moving toward a public option or expanded Medicare coverage. The party broadly favors government negotiation of prescription drug prices and opposes removing protections for pre-existing conditions.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports expanding healthcare access in Wisconsin, including Medicaid expansion and protecting the ACA. He has backed reproductive healthcare access and has been critical of efforts to restrict abortion in Wisconsin. He supports mental health and substance abuse treatment expansion and views comprehensive healthcare access as both a health equity and economic issue.Republican Platform
Republicans have generally sought to repeal or significantly reform the Affordable Care Act, favoring market-based solutions. The party supports expanding health savings accounts, increasing competition among insurers across state lines, and reducing federal mandates on coverage requirements.Immigration
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, and favor comprehensive immigration reform. The party supports increased resources for legal immigration processing and a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers at the border.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and long-term undocumented residents. He has taken a humane approach to immigration policy and has been critical of enforcement-only approaches that he argues separate families and harm Wisconsin communities that depend on immigrant workers in agriculture, dairy, and food processing.Republican Platform
Republicans prioritize border security and strict enforcement of existing immigration law. The party broadly supports completing physical border barriers, ending policies they view as incentivizing illegal entry, and reforming legal immigration to favor applicants with marketable skills.Education
Democratic Platform
Democrats favor robust federal investment in public K-12 education and higher education, along with policies to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. The party generally opposes using public funds for private school vouchers and supports universal pre-K and affordable childcare.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports robust investment in Wisconsin's public school system and has been critical of policies that divert resources from public schools. He backs increased teacher pay, expanded pre-K access, and ensuring Wisconsin's universities and technical colleges remain affordable. He has been a critic of school voucher expansion as draining resources from Milwaukee's public schools.Republican Platform
Republicans support school choice, including voucher programs for private and religious schools, and local control over curriculum decisions. The party generally opposes federal education mandates and broadly supports parental rights in schooling. Many Republicans oppose student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid their loans.Gun Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support stricter gun safety measures, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The party frames these regulations as consistent with the Second Amendment and necessary to reduce mass shootings.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports expanded background checks, red flag laws, and other gun safety measures. Coming from Milwaukee, a city deeply affected by gun violence, he views gun safety as a public health priority. He has backed comprehensive gun safety legislation and supports approaching gun violence as a public health crisis requiring both policy and community investment.Republican Platform
Republicans strongly defend Second Amendment rights and generally oppose new gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. The party emphasizes mental health intervention, the right to self-defense, and opposes what they view as infringement on law-abiding gun owners.Climate & Energy
Democratic Platform
Democrats view climate change as an urgent crisis requiring immediate government action. The party supports transitioning to clean energy through federal investment and regulation, reducing carbon emissions across the economy, and meeting international climate commitments. Democrats generally oppose expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports significant clean energy investment in Wisconsin and has backed the transition away from fossil fuels. He views Wisconsin's clean energy potential — including wind along Lake Michigan and solar development — as an economic opportunity and has backed policies to accelerate the state's clean energy transition while supporting workers in fossil fuel industries through the change.Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American energy independence through domestic production of oil, gas, and coal alongside renewable development. Many in the party are skeptical of aggressive climate regulations they argue harm economic growth and jobs. Republicans generally prefer market-based energy solutions over government mandates and oppose restrictions that raise energy costs for families.Foreign Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing alliances, international institutions, and diplomacy as the first line of engagement. The party broadly supports maintaining NATO commitments, providing aid to democratic allies, and engaging international bodies to address shared challenges.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports U.S. alliances and continued engagement abroad. He backs continued support for Ukraine against Russian aggression and supports U.S. commitments to NATO allies. As a governor candidate he engages foreign policy through Wisconsin's significant manufacturing export economy and the effects of trade policy on Wisconsin's farmers and manufacturers.Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American sovereignty, a strong military as a deterrent, and bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions. The party broadly supports robust defense spending and is skeptical of international agreements they view as constraining American action or requiring open-ended foreign commitments.Social Security
Democratic Platform
Democrats oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits and support expanding both programs. The party generally favors raising the Social Security payroll tax cap on high earners to ensure long-term solvency and opposes any form of privatization.Mandela Barnes
Barnes is a strong defender of Social Security and Medicare and opposes cuts to earned benefits. He supports protecting both programs' long-term solvency and backs policies that reduce costs for beneficiaries, including allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.Republican Platform
Republicans support reforming Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term fiscal solvency, which some in the party argue requires adjusting benefits or eligibility ages. The party opposes tax increases to fund the programs and some members have supported personal investment account options.Criminal Justice
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support criminal justice reform, including reducing mandatory minimum sentences, addressing racial disparities in policing and incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. The party generally supports police accountability measures and evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism.Mandela Barnes
Barnes supports significant criminal justice reforms, including addressing racial disparities in policing and sentencing, reducing mass incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. Coming from Milwaukee, he has engaged deeply with both the public safety challenges and the structural inequities in Wisconsin's criminal justice system, backing reforms that address root causes of crime alongside adequate law enforcement resources.Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize law and order, strong support for law enforcement, and tough penalties for crime. The party generally opposes reducing mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenses and supports prosecutors pursuing strong sentences. Republicans broadly oppose policies they view as undermining police authority or creating leniency for criminals.About these profiles. Party platform positions are drawn from the 2024 Democratic and Republican national platforms. Candidate positions are sourced from official statements, voting records, and campaign websites. MyPolity does not editorialize or endorse any candidate.