Democratic Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is running for U.S. Senate, incorrectly claimed he was endorsed by law enforcement official who said Monday that he never endorsed Barnes.
Capt. John Siegel of the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department, who is running as a Democrat for county sheriff, told local news outlets Monday that he never authorized Barnes’ campaign to put his name on any list of endorsements. Barnes originally put out a list of nine law enforcement officers — including Siegel — who he claimed endorsed him for U.S. Senate.
“I called immediately — whoever I could get a hold of, and finally got a hold of somebody operating their campaign and said, ‘Hey, I didn’t ever agree to put my name on anything or be added to a list,'” Siegel reportedly said in a call with News 3 Now. (RELATED: Wisconsin Dem Spent Massive Sum In Tax Dollars On Security Despite Hammering Police: REPORT)
Barnes’ campaign then released a statement saying the mistake was the result of a “clerical error.”
“As Captain Siegel said, due to a clerical error from our staff, there was a mistake in our initial list. The error has been corrected on our website,” Barnes’ campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said in a statement. “The Lt. Governor is proud to be endorsed by a coalition of over a dozen members of law enforcement across the state including the Sheriffs of Rock County and Green County.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson To Release Ad Series Slamming ‘Extreme’ Dem Opponent Mandela Barnes)
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2022. Bonnie Cash/Pool via REUTERS
A spokesperson for Barnes’ opponent, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, also released a statement. “Mandela Barnes has been lying about his positions and now he’s lying about who supports him,” Johnson spokesman Alec Zimmerman said. “This election is about who you can trust. Mandela Barnes is hiding from his extreme support for defunding the police, releasing half the prison population, and abolishing ICE. Now he’s hoping voters won’t pay attention to his lies as he tries to play cover up.”
A Fox News poll released in mid-August showed Barnes with a slight lead over Johnson at 50-46%, which is within the poll’s margin of error.
Barnes’ campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s inquiry about the incident.