Election notices in at least three Wisconsin newspapers did not include the name of Mandela Barnes, the former state representative from Milwaukee who is running for Lt. Governor in tomorrow’s Democratic primary against Kurt Kober. Sample ballots published in at least two of those papers did have the name correctly listed.
Oneida County Clerk Tracy Hartman acknowledged that a clerical error led to Barnes being omitted from a list of candidates provided to the Lakeland Times and the Rhinelander Daily News. Both papers were also provided a sample ballot, and those were correct, Hartman said.
The Kenosha News also omitted Barnes’ name from their election notices. City Editor Daniel Thompson said the election notice was an ad paid for by the County Clerk’s office, but it’s not clear who designed and typed the notice. Thompson said sample ballots printed in the paper were correct and that the paper would run the correct notices tomorrow.
“It’s unfortunate that newspapers in different parts of the state have printed election notices without the full list of candidate,” Barnes said in a written statement to Madison365. “While I certainly understand that honest mistakes can happen, I find it troubling that it happened twice to the same candidate. I want to assure voters across the state that I, Mandela Barnes, am in fact running for Lieutenant Governor and would greatly appreciate your support.”
The Barnes campaign took to Facebook to ask people to check their local newspapers to make sure Barnes is listed.
Barnes is the only African American candidate currently running for Lieutenant Governor.
This story has been updated and corrected.
