Human Rights Campaign Wisconsin State Director Wendy Strout released the following statement:

“The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes for U.S. Senate. Throughout his time in public life, Barnes has been a steadfast advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has fought to ensure that all people – no matter their background or who they love – have the same rights and opportunities. We have a long history of fighting for LGBTQ+ equality here in Wisconsin, but as a handful of extremist politicians shamelessly attack LGBTQ+ families, and young people in particular, we know our fight is far from over. We need to elect Barnes to help ensure we have a pro-equality majority in the U.S. Senate and deliver on our nation’s founding promise of full equality for all.”

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes released the following statement:

“I’ve spent my career standing against discriminatory bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community and I’m grateful to have Human Right Campaign’s endorsement,” said Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, candidate for U.S. senate. “To our LGBTQ+ community, especially the youth — you belong. I promise to never stop fighting on your behalf to make our state, and the county, a better and safer place for you.”

As an organizer, state legislator, and lieutenant governor, Barnes has spent his career fighting for equality and economic opportunity for everyone. Barnes has been part of one of the most pro-equality administrations in Wisconsin’s history and has been a vocal ally to LGBTQ+ people, particularly LGBTQ+ people of color, as he worked to create a state that is equitable and inclusive for everyone. If elected to the U.S. Senate, he has committed to sponsoring the Equality Act – a comprehensive nondiscrimination bill that would add the categories of sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights laws, in addition to protections for women, people of color, and people of all faiths.

HRC’s Commitment to Wisconsin

Equality Voters, including the nearly 715,000 in Wisconsin, are a voting bloc of demographically and geographically diverse Americans who are united by the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality. Equality Voters are younger, more racially diverse, and more female than the general electorate, they recognize and trust the HRC brand, and they are more likely to identify with issue-specific organizations than candidates or political parties.

HRC has had staff and resources on the ground in Wisconsin since 2017. Across the country, HRC PAC works every day to elect pro-equality leaders who support policies that will support the rights and lives of LGBTQ+ people. During the 2020 election cycle, HRC staff on the ground recruited 5,800 individual volunteers nationwide who completed 28,500 hours of voter contact in more than 2,650 volunteer events. HRC engaged in robust digital and online GOTV efforts, including sending over 2.7 million person-to-person text messages, a massive increase from 2018 when approximately 500,000 texts were sent. HRC sent over 2.5 million mail pieces, had over 930,000 phone conversations with voters, and engaged more than 200,000 voters through HRC’s voter dashboard at hrc.org/vote.