Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barnes making three US Senate campaign stops in La Crosse on Thursday morning

A busy Thursday for the newest U.S. Senate candidate in Wisconsin.

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes will be stopping at three La Crosse locations, accompanied by La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds for what’s being called meet and greets.

Barnes — Wisconsin’s first Black lieutenant governor — announced Tuesday he was running for Senate in 2022.

The 34-year-old’s three stops will all be within a three-block radius of one another, near downtown and include:

• 9:20 a.m. — Smith Bike Shop on Seventh Street (map)
• 10:05 a.m. — Larson’s General on Main Street (map)
• 10:50 a.m. — Schuby’s Butcher Shop on State Street (map)

Barnes is Wisconsin’s first-ever Black lieutenant governor. He helped flip Wisconsin’s governorship to the Democrats, along with Tony Evers.

Now he hopes to help Democrats get more than a 50-50 share of the Senate and become the state’s first Black senator.

He is one of nine Democrats — and the highest profile candidate yet — running for the seat currently held by Republican Ron Johnson, who reiterated on WIZM earlier this week he has yet to decide if he will run for re-election.

La Crosse County Democratic Party chair William Garcia discussed on the Democratic Voice podcast why Wisconsin could be the state that determines which party holds the Senate majority.

Also running for Democrats:

• Wisconsin state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski
• Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry
• Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson
• State Sen. Chris Larson
• Dr. Gillian Battino (Wausau)
• Business owner Adam Murphy (Franklin)
• Democratic party activist Peter Peckarsky (Milwaukee)
• Milwaukee City Councilwoman Chantia Lewis

After his La Crosse stops, Barnes heads to Eau Claire to visit Farm Technology Days, then meets with local farmers in Cadott, Wis.