in January. >> Jon Henkes, thanks very
much. >> Thanks.
>> Tonight we continue our interviews with candidates
running in the primary election for governor. We
brought you interviews with the two Republicans in the
race earlier this month. There are seven Democrats
lining up. We spoke with three of them last week. Up
next, senior political reporter Zac Schultz brings
us introductory interviews with the remaining four
Democrats, starting with former Lieutenant Governor
Mandela Barnes. >> Mandela Barnes. Thanks
for coming in for sure. >> Thank you so much for
having me. >> So for voters who may
not be as familiar with you, introduce yourself and say,
why are you running for governor?
Barnes, former lieutenant governor, former state rep
running for governor because we found ourselves
in a critical moment here in the state of Wisconsin
all across the country. But Wisconsin has certainly
rising costs, such as no different from other states.
But when people are having such a hard time to pay for
groceries, to live in their homes, to be able to afford
their utilities or even healthcare. We need
leadership that's going to reject the status quo and
actually get to work to solving our problems. And
this is more than just about bold leadership to
take on Donald Trump. We need bold leadership that's
going to provide solutions. And I'm running because we
need to provide real relief. In my time in the
legislature, my time as lieutenant governor has
been focused on making life better for people across
Wisconsin. It has been focused on improving
quality of life. And that's why I'm ready to get to
work to lower costs on the very first day.
that's driven you in your career, or maybe a lane
within the party that helps define who you are?
>> Well, there are a number of issues. You know, I
honestly think about challenges, situations,
circumstances that I've dealt with, you know,
growing up, you know, unfortunately, I've lost
friends to gun violence. And that was one of the
biggest things that actually made me think
about public service. Who was going to step up, who
was going to answer the call. And when we have
these conversations about crime, we have these
conversations about violence in general. Like
it speaks to me personally. >> How much money are you
going to need to raise in order to win this primary?
And then the election? >> An obscene amount of
money, which is the worst part about politics.
There's far too much money involved. I think about,
you know, the the amount of spending that's not just
from candidates but also from superPACs. And it
feels as if everyday people don't have a voice in
politics. I'm proud of, you know, my previous campaigns
where we were grassroots funded, we didn't take
corporate PAC money, not a dime of corporate PAC money.
And I look at this race and that's the same case. We're
not taking corporate PAC money, but it is going to
take about $50 million on the candidate side for me
to raise. And it shouldn't be that way. But if we
don't come out successful, we'll never be able to get
big money out of politics. >> You're no stranger to
competitive primaries, so you between negative
campaigning against a member of your party versus
just defining differences between candidates?
>> Well, I have zero interest in negative
campaigning against any of my opponents. My focus, as
I mentioned, has been and will continue to be on
November. And I say this, I have a lot of friends in
the race. I respect everybody in the race. I
think everybody brings something to the race, but
I'm running based off of my experience, my time in the
legislature, my time as lieutenant governor is
unmatched in this primary. I've been every single
county. My first, my first year as lieutenant governor,
continued to make my rounds across the state. Every
year after even out of office, I've had the great
fortune and opportunity to be able to travel the great
state of Wisconsin just meeting with people just,
you know, existing, living, getting to enjoy the rich,
natural beauty. You could spend money at our small
businesses and just spend time in communities. And
with that being the case, I think about the work that I
have put in. And, you know, some folks may say, oh,
Mandela's got the name recognition. Well, I got
the name recognition because I've shown up.
>> When voters are looking at this broad field of
candidates, do you think they should look for who
connects best with them on the issues, or should they
be thinking about electability?
should be looking about or looking at who is going to
fight for them, who is going to show up, who's not
going to take no for an answer, who's going to be
bold, and who is going to drastically work to improve
quality of life regardless of where you live and
regardless of who you vote for.
>> So most of the candidates have connections
to either Milwaukee or Madison. What is the what
is your outreach plan for the rest of the state for
rural Wisconsin? >> Well, I can tell you,
there's not a person in this race who has the
experience in all parts of Wisconsin that I have. In
22, I won the Wisconsin Farmers Union, friend of
the Family Farmer Award. Because of my dedication to
rural Wisconsin. I ran into a guy leaving that
conference a few years ago and said that he never
thought that he'd be voting for a guy from Milwaukee,
based on his rural policy, and also understanding that
rural Wisconsin isn't just farms, it is small
businesses that make up Wisconsin. It's also the
outdoor activities that bring tourism to rural
Wisconsin. >> What do you think the
impact of Donald Trump will be on this election?
>> Well, people are dissatisfied. People were
lied to. People have been lied to. He lied the first
time around. But people are feeling those lies a whole
lot more. He called affordability a hoax. The
person is struggling to pay their utility bills right
now. I don't think that's a hoax. People who are
struggling to stay in their homes, they don't think
that's a hoax. People who are going to see their
health care premiums rise. We're going to see their
health care premiums balloon. It's not a hoax to
them. And that's why this campaign isn't just about
me running for governor, me winning the race for
governor. This is about ensuring that we have a
majority in the state Assembly and the state
Senate to actually do right by the people, because the
will of the people should be the law of the land, and