Johnson prevails in Wisconsin Senate race that Democrats eyed as pickup opportunity

[Polybius]

Source: CNN

Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson will win reelection, CNN projects, defeating Mandela Barnes in a race that Democrats saw as one of their best flip opportunities in the midterm elections.

The victory is another demonstration of the remarkable political durability of Johnson, 67, who has now won three consecutive hard-fought elections, despite polls that long showed him among the least popular senators up for reelection this year.

In holding off Barnes – whom Democrats had viewed at the outset of this year’s election cycle as a potential rising star – Johnson has also bolstered the GOP’s hopes of winning control of the Senate.

Throughout the summer and fall, Republicans relentlessly focused their attacks on Barnes over crime.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/09/politics/ron-johnson-wisconsin-midterm-reelection/index.html

[Deep State Witch]

1. DAMMIT!!!

I was hoping that we'd pick the one up.

[yourout]

2. Wrong candidate for this cycle with Roe being front and center.

That And a healthy dose of racism.

Godlewski would have won this seat.

[pfitz59]

29. I agree

Johnson should have lost

[Ziggysmom]

3. I don't get it. Dem Governor Tony Evers wins. But not Barnes.

I smell racism and it stinks to high hell!

[Polybius]

4. Tony Evers is a bit more moderate than Mandela Barnes

Wisconsin is pretty purple.

[certainot]

22. and republicans are usually white

[appmanga]

24. I do think...

...if he were a white guy named "Martin Barnes" he would have won. Tying crime to black a candidate was successful in the NC Senate race as well, and it was used in Georgia against Stacy Abrams and Raphael Warnock. The desperation against Beasley and Warnock was so high, commercials against them started accusing them of wanting sex offenders out of jail and their advocating sex changes for minors.

I fully expect the "sex change" and "boys playing girl's sports" crap to get played up in Warnock's runoff. The general election ads against him had blatant lies, and I expect worse if his seat is for senate control.

[Lonestarblue]

5. This one and Grassley's win are beyond disappointing. Both supported January 6 coup attempt

before and after the attack on the Capitol. Voters don’t seem to care how corrupt their candidates are.

[Evolve Dammit]

6. I never realized how f'd up WI is until the Walker years. Johnson is a total fascist. nt

[Traildogbob]

7. Seems like

His 4th of July trip to Moscow is paying dividends. Don’t wanna hear any shit from Cheese Capital seniors when SS is gone. You may get lucky and qualify for that gubment fake cheese once a month like the good ole days ya wanna go back too. But ya owned the libs. I feel horribly Owned.

[elocs]

8. Johnson was very beatable this year, Democrats picked a candidate

that just didn't fit a purple state with a deeply divided electorate. I think other Democratic senate primary candidates dropped out to give Barnes a clear path, hoping for a big Black turnout in Milwaukee to win him the seat. In hindsight, that was a mistake because Barnes was just too far to the Left to win.
Now, another 6 years of Johnson.

[LymphocyteLover]

10. Barnes was a great candidate. He was killed by a massive onslaught of racist attacks against him

unfortunately outspent in ads.

I hope someone writes up the despicable racist tactics the GOP used this midterms.

[onetexan]

12. Barnes is a fine candidate. He will learn from this.

Remember Conor Lamb & Jon Ossoff? They didnt win their first races.

[LymphocyteLover]

20. Good point, yes!

[Jimbo S]

17. Best analysis

Both candidates had their flaws. Johnson/RNC/dark $ had the funds to overwhelm the airwaves with attack ads.

[certainot]

23. if the DOJ ties him to jan 6 treason, or russians, could they do a recall? or could he end up in

jail?

[andym]

9. Johnson beat one of the most principled Democratic candidates Sen. Feingold twice

Feingold refused PAC money and was quite the idealist in the Senate. WI's rightward turn could be predicted from the moment that RoJo first defeated Feingold in 2010. It was clear Barnes had a very difficult path to victory there.

[mountain grammy]

11. Yes, I've not forgotten that

one of the most honest and decent Senators replaced by crooked Johnson. Go figure.

We lost Udall in 2014 to that swarmy Gardner but at least dumped him in 2020.

[Ziggysmom]

14. Sigh, Feingold was the best! I live in red hell county here in WI. I used to live in Madison years

back, but had to move for work. When I retire I'm getting the hell out of this red county.

[Wild blueberry]

13. Racism

Ronald's ads were overtly racist.
Mandela Barnes did an excellent job for the whole of Wisconsin as Lt Gov.

[sybylla]

25. Yep. And a large part of this state is awfully racist.

Lots of lies in those ads, too, but racists will believe anything. #ScaryBlackMan

[TomDaisy]

15. WTF how much of a freak do you have to be to disqualify yourself from being a senator

[NoMoreRepugs]

16. Call it like it is - rural Wisconsinites are Hillbillies that live in the cold. An AA candidate has

a tough tough road to victory in that state.

[sybylla]

26. Yep. I'm from one of those hillbilly counties.

This is definitely a thing.

[Luciferous]

27. My kiddo calls it Wississippi 😄

[jgmiller]

18. I just don't see Johnson finishing the term

He's a nut but each election he's been losing more and more votes and just seems like he's going through the motions a lot of times even with his rants. I see him sticking around through 2024 and if Trump doesn't win he decides to retire.

[Linda Ed]

19. Polls manipulated by republicans

I think Johnson should not be a win but a county in Milwaukee should be recounted..they do it every election!! He stole it and had those people cheat..THAT IS OF COURSE MY OPINION ONLY. But that area of Wis has always found shady results!

When Merrick Garland held a press conference to tell us that Chinese agents had been doing nefarious things, I got hit with a really powerful thought, immediately: Donald Trump sold the Chinese top secret information.

Every coin has two sides. Elon Musk found out on Twitter! All is not what it appears with polls!

[Initech]

21. BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Fuck Ron Johnson!

[SunSeeker]

28. Johnson employed the GOP's Southern Strategy: Racism.

Johnson & allies ran racist ads. WI GOP even darkened Mandela's skin tone in one.



Johnson's campaign and his allies/pacs pounded Barnes with TV ads and mailers over his views on social justice and crime issues, saying he was "different" and "dangerous."  https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/09/22/mandela-barnes-supporters-accuse-republicans-airing-racist-ads-race-us-senate-race-ron-johnson/8074904001/