Barnes’ Senate bid may ride on Milwaukee’s Black turnout

By HARM VENHUIZEN
Associated Press/Report for America

MILWAUKEE (AP) — In Wisconsin’s tight U.S. Senate race, Democrat Mandela Barnes’ chances to unseat two-term Sen. Ron Johnson may rest with how well he turns out Black voters who don’t always show up in big numbers. Barnes, who would be Wisconsin’s first Black senator, is doubling down on breaking through with younger members of that bloc who community organizers say are often disinterested or feel their votes don’t make a difference. He plans events at Black student unions and elsewhere in the community in the campaign’s closing stretch, and he’s investing millions in reaching young voters of color on streaming platforms like YouTube and Spotify. Barack Obama was in Milwaukee on Saturday to lend his star power to a rally for Barnes.