Mandela's Record — Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin

Serving Wisconsin in the state legislature

During Mandela Barnes’ tenure as a Wisconsin State Representative, he advocated for investments in education and public safety, gun safety, pushed to raise the minimum wage and lower drug costs. His advocacy helped lay the foundation for the Evers-Barnes Administrations’ achievements on the same issues.

In 2014, Barnes cosponsored a bill that lowered the cost of chemotherapy pills, which was signed into law. In 2021, the Evers-Barnes administration signed a bill that increased transparency in the drug pricing process and introduced a package of bills called the “Less for Rx” plan.
In 2015, Barnes demanded Joint Finance Committee funding to address Milwaukee’s violence epidemic. In 2021 and 2022, the Evers-Barnes Administration invested $45 million in violence prevention programs, including an additional $8 million for Milwaukee.
In 2021, the Evers-Barnes administration announced a historic $110 million investment in public schools.

Making History as Wisconsin’s First Black Lieutenant Governor

In 2021, Barnes worked closely with Governor Evers to help Wisconsin recover from the pandemic with the Badger Bounceback Plan. This included a bipartisan bill providing a tax exemption for federal relief grants through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund that allowed businesses to not have to pay taxes on relief loans they needed to recover.
When Republicans in Wisconsin’s state legislature continued to block efforts to expand Badgercare, Barnes went on a statewide tour to improve enrollment and education to improve access to healthcare.
Governor Evers appointed Barnes as Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change. Barnes brought together a bipartisan group of farmers, business executives, tribal leaders, and environmental activists to develop a plan to address climate change and bring down energy costs in Wisconsin.

Empowering Wisconsin Voters as President of Power to the Polls Wisconsin

Through historic investments in organizing and mobilizing Black, Brown, and working class voters in Wisconsin, Power to the Polls Wisconsin has knocked over a million doors in the past three years.
Thanks to these investments and year round commitment to organizing Wisconsinites, Milwaukee had the highest voter turnout percentage of any of the 50 largest U.S. cities in 2024. This is all the more striking given that turnout declined in cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Their voters also had an outsized impact in Wisconsin’s critical Supreme Court races with Milwaukee’s turnout increasing by over 10% in the 2025 election.

Protecting our Democracy Through Restoring Trust in our Elections

As part of Wisconsin’s bipartisan leadership team with Democracy Defense Project, he worked to increase Americans' confidence in election results and increase U.S. voter participation - a critical project in the face of a surge in political disinformation and attacks on our democracy.

Lowering Wisconsinites’ Energy Costs as President and Founder of Forward Together Wisconsin

Directed over $1 million in public funding to make energy efficient improvements to low income homes in Wisconsin that created good paying union jobs and lowered energy costs for Wisconsin families.
Built a coalition of public schools, community centers, Tribes, and more to identify and pursue opportunities to utilize federal funding to transition to solar energy and reduce their utility costs.
Led a voter education campaign that knocked nearly a half a million doors to educate Wisconsinites about opportunities to save through the Inflation Reduction Act.

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