The Brief
- Mandela Barnes is suing the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for defamation; he is arguing some reporting was incorrect.
- Barnes also alleges a reporter was conflicted due to a previous intimate relationship with Barnes.
- The newspaper stands by its reporting.
MILWAUKEE – Mandela Barnes sues the state’s largest newspaper. The former lieutenant governor and 2026 candidate for governor accuses the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of defamation. Barnes claims the paper got facts wrong, and he says a newspaper reporter had a conflict that the paper didn’t reveal. But, the paper stands by its reporting.
Newspaper’s original reporting
The backstory:
It was a stunner 12 days before the high-stakes Democratic primary for governor: on July 30, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Mandela Barnes was dropping out of the race.
“The decision by Barnes came amid reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel into allegations that Barnes was taking advantage of his role in the party to have sexual encounters with young adult women,” the paper reported.
The Journal Sentinel also reported the Wisconsin Democratic Party hired a law firm in 2025 to probe similar claims against Barnes.
Barnes says it’s wrong
What To Know:…