Mandela Barnes drops out of high-stakes Wisconsin governor’s race

From the publisher

Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor on Thursday, upending the high-stakes contest less than two weeks before the 11 August election. Barnes announced the decision in a video posted on social media, saying he no longer saw a viable path to the nomination, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong surged ahead with a commanding lead. “It’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be,” Barnes, 39, said. A Marquette Law School poll showed Hong significantly ahead of Barnes in a distant second place, with 38% compared to his 16%, having consolidated liberal support, especially among young voters, although about…

The source's own excerpt, unedited