WI-SEN 2022 Megathread: Who stole my cheese?

[Blair]

Democrats have often only won in tough races against the trend when they’ve ran a statewide elected official or someone who has a really strong brand- was there anyone like that in WI? I’m not too sure.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Democrats have often only won in tough races against the trend when they’ve ran a statewide elected official or someone who has a really strong brand- was there anyone like that in WI? I’m not too sure.

Godlewski was the Tammy Baldwin of this race Barnes was over sold as the best candidate he clearly wasn't

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Democrats have often only won in tough races against the trend when they’ve ran a statewide elected official or someone who has a really strong brand- was there anyone like that in WI? I’m not too sure.

Barnes was a statewide elected official. He still is for a few more months.

[Blair]

Democrats have often only won in tough races against the trend when they’ve ran a statewide elected official or someone who has a really strong brand- was there anyone like that in WI? I’m not too sure.

Barnes was a statewide elected official. He still is for a few more months.

I phrased it badly and meant someone who has won statewide in their own right.

[Koharu]

Barnes deserves an apology from this forum and the DSCC. He was basically triaged and nearly won, gave Johnson a bigger run for his money than Feingold either time. With some more attention and care he could have pulled it off.

Exactly. That's why they brought in Obama -- it was just too little, too late.

I don't know who was directing Barnes's advertisements, but they never spoke to his actual policies, just focused on him being an "everyman" and NEVER went after RoJo for his many failings. Maybe they did elsewhere, not in Dane County, but from what I've heard there was very little that went after RoJo. I understand wanting to do a positive campaign, but a lot of people aren't even aware of some of the nonsense RoJo has done and said.

Barnes had the benefit of state-wide name recognition (which Evers also had which helped him significantly in 2018). None of the other Dem candidates had even that and would have struggled.

Sarah Godlewski was already being dragged for being connected to Hillary's campaign and being a "carpetbagger" (she's not really, but she wasn't eligible to vote in WI in 2016 since she lived in CO for a while). She also had invested in large pharmaceutical companies (and divested) but was seen as hypocritical for calling those same companies out while campaigning. Her campaign had also started throwing mud in the primary, and that turned off some people.

Lasry would have faced significant pushback due to his being the owner of the Bucks and being from Milwaukee. I don't think he had done anywhere near as much in-person visiting rural Wisconsin as Barnes did prior to the primary.

Nelson, IMO, would have been the next best option after Barnes of who we had, but he truly would have suffered for lack of recognition statewide and I suspect he wouldn't have done as well as Barnes in Milwaukee.

I don't think anyone else could have done better than Barnes, assuming the same mistakes would be made with the campaign communication. That said, it's possible the campaign spent a lot of time on showing him as a "normal person" because Barnes is Black, and that they wouldn't have done the same with the other candidates, but that, again, is a failing of the campaign and its advisors rather than the candidate.

Edit: It's also worth noting that there was significant PAC spending on advertisement for RoJo, and they were doing a lot of the fearmongering ads. I only saw one PAC ad for Barnes, and while it did focus on abortion, it was a very gentle ad that was scared to use real words or force. There were more direct ads about abortion re: Evers and Michels, and while we can never know for sure, I'm sure it had some impact.

[Koharu]

https://twitter.com/donmoyn/status/1590688576760475651

[SnowLabrador]

https://twitter.com/donmoyn/status/1590688576760475651

Sickening.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Democrats spent 60 million dollars in Wisconsin, Barnes wasn't triaged at all.

[Progressive Pessimist]

While I would also categorize this race as this year's CO-2014, PA-2016, FL-2018, and NC-2020; it is different in the sense that Barnes was written off while the Democrat in all the others looked favored. I will apologize for being one of those who underestimated him and I am now frustrated that it was such a close loss. This being the 52nd Senate seat for Democrats in the place of one of the worst battleground state Senators would have been incredible. I don't know what could have gone differently and whether the problem was Barnes himself, Johnson, outside spending by GOP groups, or spending problems on the part of the Democrats' part; but I am still impressed at how Wisconsin went overall this year. I mean, we were the ones who were underestimated here this year. That's a massive victory in itself.

By the way, Barnes looked favored in late August, if we remember, and honestly, polling at that point, which looked to be the Democrats' peak was probably a more accurate picture of what actually ended up happening on Tuesday. Just something to note.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Given how close it was in the end, another candidate may actually have won. Am I the only one seeing this as a missed opportunity?

Have you read this thread?

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Here's the thing gus, Johnson had the same Jan 6/election truthwr problems that other Republicans this cycle had, he has a history of making outrageous remarks and he is extremely conservative. That's why Barnes was able to keep it as close as it was. But you can't deny that Barnes scandals didn't play a role in him losing.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

We will get a better candidate in 28 it's a conciliation that Laxalt lost by 4/8K votes to CCM, Emerson had Johnson and LAXALT plus 5 which is still comical

[Suburbia]

Given how close it was in the end, another candidate may actually have won. Am I the only one seeing this as a missed opportunity?

Mahlon Mitchell would have won. Black firefighter, handsome. Actually has substance. Democrats cannot allow Republicans to appeal to working class people like cops, firefighters, etc.

Can't be upset when Bernie is embarrassed at how Democrats have been losing working class people in these crucial jobs to corporate Republicans...

You don't run someone like Mandela Barnes, with his BLM baggage and expect to win in a state like Wisconsin that has one of the most racially segregationist history in the Midwest, similar to Missouri. It ain't Illinois....

[henster]

Given how close it was in the end, another candidate may actually have won. Am I the only one seeing this as a missed opportunity?

Mahlon Mitchell would have won. Black firefighter, handsome. Actually has substance. Democrats cannot allow Republicans to appeal to working class people like cops, firefighters, etc.

Can't be upset when Bernie is embarrassed at how Democrats have been losing working class people in these crucial jobs to corporate Republicans...

You don't run someone like Mandela Barnes, with his BLM baggage and expect to win in a state like Wisconsin that has one of the most racially segregationist history in the Midwest, similar to Missouri. It ain't Illinois....

I agree on Mitchells he would've been a great candidate, it's frustrating because the Lt Gov race was wide open for him in '18 but he chose to run for Governor against Evers in the primary.

[Suburbia]

Given how close it was in the end, another candidate may actually have won. Am I the only one seeing this as a missed opportunity?

Mahlon Mitchell would have won. Black firefighter, handsome. Actually has substance. Democrats cannot allow Republicans to appeal to working class people like cops, firefighters, etc.

Can't be upset when Bernie is embarrassed at how Democrats have been losing working class people in these crucial jobs to corporate Republicans...

You don't run someone like Mandela Barnes, with his BLM baggage and expect to win in a state like Wisconsin that has one of the most racially segregationist history in the Midwest, similar to Missouri. It ain't Illinois....

I agree on Mitchells he would've been a great candidate, it's frustrating because the Lt Gov race was wide open for him in '18 but he chose to run for Governor against Evers in the primary.

This.

Mitchell is young. He should angle for 2026 Governor.

[Gass3268]

Funny enough, Russ Feingold probably would have won if he ran again this time.