Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson has suspended his campaign in the Democratic Primary for US Senate and endorsed frontrunner, Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, for the nomination.
The winner of the August 9 primary will face incumbent Ron Johnson in November.
Nelson made the announcement in a video posted to Twitter on Monday.
“The progressive vote is consolidated and the progressive family is one,” Nelson said in endorsing Barnes. “Mandela is a good man, a good progressive, and he will be a strong nominee this fall.”
In another tweet, Nelson said his campaign “ran out of money” and referred to Barnes as “the one candidate who is not trying to buy this election.”
Nelson, a former legislator and Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010, had lingered in fourth place in the crowded primary, behind Barnes, Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry and State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski. Both Lasry and Godlewski have heavily funded their own campaigns.
Barnes tweeted, “I deeply respect Tom Nelson’s commitment to the working people in this state and am thankful to have his endorsement.”
