Democratic Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, a Wisconsin Democrat running against Republican Sen. Ron Johnson for the Senate, has raised an unprecedented amount in the third quarter 2022 for his campaign, his campaign announced Wednesday.
Representatives from the campaign spoke to CNN to confirm that Barnes raised $20,000,000 between July and September. According to OpenSecrets (a campaign finance tracker), the amount is greater than what Barnes has raised during the entire Senate campaign. It also exceeds Ron Johnson’s total fundraising by about $3 million.
The close race between Barnes and Johnson is one that’s been gaining attention. It’s a key battleground for Democrats and Republicans in their efforts to control the Senate. According to RealClearPolitics polling, Johnson leads the race by an average of three points.
After former President Donald Trump’s narrow victory in 2016, Wisconsin has been considered a competitive battleground state. This was the first win for Wisconsin by a Republican candidate in the 49-state National landslide victory that President Ronald Reagan won in 1984.
Although Joe Biden was the then-candidate for Wisconsin, his margin of victory in 2020 was similar. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index state map, 2022, Wisconsin currently has a score “Republican +2”, while incumbent Democratic Governor is in the concurrent gubernatorial election. Tony Evers is 0.5% behind Republican nominee Tim Michels, according to RealClearPolitics. This polling aggregator uses data from aggregators RealClearPolitics.
Barnes posted on Twitter, “The latest poll shows Ron Johnson is neck and neck with me in this race,” “We need the resources necessary to compete for this seat and flip it. He added that every dollar counts.
After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June, Barnes has focused his campaign around abortion. Barnes started a “Ron Against Roe” tour of the state on Sept. 29 to highlight Johnson’s allegedly anti-abortion voting record.
Johnson is a member of Susan B. Anthony Prolife America with an A+ voting record. Johnson has not supported GOP-led efforts to limit abortion such as the proposal of Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, to stop it after 15 weeks.
The Daily Caller News Foundation did not immediately respond with comment to Johnson’s and Barnes’ campaigns.
