“Busy doesn’t even begin to describe” the life of Mandela Barnes since his unsuccessful run to unseat US Senator Ron Johnson in 2022. “It’s basically never let up since the campaign.”
He’s running two nonprofit organizations – Forward Together Wisconsin and Power to the Polls – and founded a political action committee, The Long Run PAC, to support candidates for office, especially people of color, across the country.
Listen to the interview on the 365 Amplified podcast:
And in the midst of all that, he’s been training for this Sunday’s Ironman Wisconsin, an endeavor with some parallels to running a campaign.
“Running for the US Senate is a distance endurance race all on its own,” he said in an interview for the 365 Amplified Podcast. “When campaign days get long, I know my physical limit. I know my actual point of exhaustion. I know what I can and can’t do. I know how sturdy I am when things get difficult, but I know also when I absolutely have to stop, and it’s the same way in a physical race, an endurance race. Mentally, this is a challenge. I won’t be finished in less than 12 hours, right? I have a goal in my mind, but I’m going to be out there for at least 12 hours. And so the mind goes to some weird places during that stretch of time. You can’t listen to music. You can’t have headphones, so I’m going to be listening to myself breathe … for no less than 12 hours. There are lots of thoughts and some are intrusive, so knowing how to to manage those thoughts and how to overcome the pain, how to overcome the stress, how to think through other stuff that’s going on in life. I think that they both compliment each other, running for office and and running endurance races.”
For years, running has been “just what I do to relieve stress, to stay healthy,” Barnes said. He’s run a handful of marathons and two half-triathlons – the MilkMan in Madison and the Door County Triathlon. He’s also competed in the Horribly Hilly Hundreds bicycle race around western Dane County.
Barnes expects the 2.4-mile swim that starts the IronMan to be one of the most significant physical challenges. He learned to swim as a child at the Milwaukee Recreation Department. “If I were to fall off a boat, I wouldn’t panic, I’d figure it out,” he joked. “The technique was the struggle for me”
So, to prepare to become a triathlete, he went back to Milwaukee Rec for their swimming master class.
“Support your local rec department,” Barnes added.
The Long Run PAC gets its name not only from Barnes’ identity as a runner, but his attitude toward politics.
“I said (when running for Senate) that I wasn’t in it just to win an election,” he said. “There’s so much more work to do long after elections are decided. I wanted folks to know that I am absolutely in this for the long run.”
To that end, The Long Run has supported candidates like US Senate Candidates Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Andy Kim in New Jersey, both of whom the PAC endorsed during primary races: “We got in early for them when it was a little more difficult to make the decision to endorse,” Barnes said. The PAC has also endorsed and helped fund Congressional candidates and even Houston Comptroller Chris Hollins.
On Sunday, Barnes encourages folks to take a look at the course map and find a spot to cheer on the competitors.
“I promise you, it goes a long way,” he said. “If you want to heckle me, that might even help.”
Listen to the 365 Amplified podcast for more on Barnes’ thoughts on this year’s senate and presidential elections. Click the play button above or find 365 Amplified on your favorite podcast app.
