Primaries were held Tuesday in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut. In Wisconsin, the millionaire construction magnate Tim Michels won the Republican gubernatorial primary. Michels, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, defeated Rebecca Kleefisch, who had the backing of former Vice President Mike Pence. Michels will face Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in November. If elected, Michels has vowed to abolish the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes easily won the Democratic Senate primary after several of his opponents dropped out. Barnes would become Wisconsin’s first Black U.S. senator if he defeats Republican incumbent Ron Johnson in November. Barnes spoke at a victory rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes: “And we will continue to fight for good-paying jobs that you can raise a family on. I’m here to tell you that together we will move forward to protect the rights of so many people, the fight that so many people have been involved in long before we got here, like the right to vote and the right — and the right for you to make your own decisions about your own bodies.”