Mandela Barnes Wisconsin Campaign: Down with the Rich, Up with Abortion

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. — This morning, Mandela Barnes started a full day of campaigning, in his effort to unseat Senator Ron Johnson, in picturesque Door County, a peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan considered by some the “Cape Cod of the Midwest.” In this affluent topographical “thumb” of the Dairy State, the Democrat made his pitch to the white-collar retirees who so often remove there from Chicago. The event was hosted at Lawlss Coffee, an ironic launch location for a candidate accused by his opponent of being soft on crime. A second irony stems from the history behind Door County’s name: Among the Europeans and natives who once sailed its dangerously fickle waters and passages, it gained a reputation as “Death’s Door.”

The turnout at the beautifully appointed bank-building-turned-coffee-shop numbered around a hundred Barnes supporters — a small number of them wearing medical masks. The two baristas, buried under coffee orders, were nonetheless delighted with the mustering throng and stopped to snap pictures, beaming all the while. The venue was so beyond capacity that an aide came in to inform us that the event would be held outside in front of the campaign bus. The group dutifully trooped outside and formed a semicircle to await the candidate’s emergence from the bus. When he did come forth, it was to much applause but a muted, seemingly self-conscious chant of “Mandela, Mandela, Mandela!”

About the Author

Luther Ray Abel

Luther Ray Abel is an Associate Editor for National Review. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Luther is a proud native of Sheboygan, Wis.

Featured Tags

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. — This morning, Mandela Barnes started a full day of campaigning, in his effort to unseat Senator Ron Johnson, in picturesque Door County, a peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan considered by some the “Cape Cod of the Midwest.” In this affluent topographical “thumb” of the Dairy State, the Democrat made his pitch to the white-collar retirees who so often remove there from Chicago. The event was hosted at Lawlss Coffee, an ironic launch location for a candidate accused by his opponent of being soft on crime. A second irony stems from the history behind Door County’s name: Among the Europeans and natives who once sailed its dangerously fickle waters and passages, it gained a reputation as “Death’s Door.”

The turnout at the beautifully appointed bank-building-turned-coffee-shop numbered around a hundred Barnes supporters — a small number of them wearing medical masks. The two baristas, buried under coffee orders, were nonetheless delighted with the mustering throng and stopped to snap pictures, beaming all the while. The venue was so beyond capacity that an aide came in to inform us that the event would be held outside in front of the campaign bus. The group dutifully trooped outside and formed a semicircle to await the candidate’s emergence from the bus. When he did come forth, it was to much applause but a muted, seemingly self-conscious chant of “Mandela, Mandela, Mandela!”