MADISON, Wis. — The race for one of Wisconsin’s seats in the U.S. Senate is too close to call early Wednesday, with the campaigns for both Sen. Ron Johnson and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes telling their supporters to go home for the night while the final votes are tabulated.
Speaking to his supporters, Sen. Johnson said he was not going to declare victory in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but said “we feel very confident that there’s no way that they can make up that gap.”
As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, 98% of Wisconsin’s votes had been counted, with preliminary numbers showing Sen. Johnson holding slim lead of about 38,621 votes — or about 1.4% — with most of the votes from areas that are typically Democratic strongholds already counted.
U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate
-
Ron Johnson *WinnerR
50.5%
1,334,680 -
Mandela Barnes D
49.5%
1,307,282
“We’ll wait until all the numbers come in before I declare final victory,” Sen. Johnson said. “Let’s wait for all the numbers to come in, then we’ll declare victory tomorrow morning.”
Barnes’ supporters preached patience as the final votes are counted.
“We will not silence any voice. We don’t believe in voter suppression in Wisconsin,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Vice President Felesia Martin said at Barnes’ campaign event. “Let the process play out. Thank you again and keep that positive energy going, sending Mandela positive thoughts.”
Johnson was first elected to the Senate in 2010, beating incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold. He then beat Feingold for a second time in 2016. Johnson had previous indicated he would only serve two terms, but walked that back in January, citing what he called the “Democrats’ complete takeover of government.”
Barnes represented Wisconsin’s 11th District in the State Assembly from 2013 to 2017. He won the 2018 Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor before he and Tony Evers narrowly beat incumbents Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch three months later. Barnes was Wisconsin’s first-ever Black Lieutenant Governor and the youngest Lieutenant Governor in the country.
Johnson’s campaign took aim at Barnes’ policies, such as his support for the Green New Deal and rights for transgender people. Barnes, meanwhile, criticized Johnson for his stance on abortion and said the Senator downplayed the violence that occurred during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The two debated multiple times during the campaign, with the final debate coming in October.
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