Meet J. Mandela Barnes the first African American and 45th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin since 2019

Mandela J. Barnes is a rising American politician who has served as the 45th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin since 2019. He is a well-known Democratic Party member who served as state representative for the 11th district from 2013 to 2017. Barnes is Wisconsin’s first African American lieutenant governor.

He was the Democratic candidate for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin, which he lost in a close race to incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson.

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Mandela Barnes Age

Barnes was born on December 1, 1986, in Milwaukee. He was born to Jesse Barnes and Lajuan Barnes. Jesse is his first name and his middle name, Mandela, is a tribute to anti-apartheid activist and South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela. Barnes claims to have used his middle name since birth. J. Mandela Barnes is his full legal name.

Mandela Barnes Education

Mr. Barnes attended Holy Redeemer Christian Academy in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Public Schools, including John Marshall High School, and Alabama A&M University.

During college, Barnes was active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He has also stated that Barack Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention inspired him to reconsider his post-college career.

Barnes admitted in August 2019 that he had never officially finished his bachelor’s degree in 2008 due to insufficient coursework in one class that he called a “minor technical issue,” contradicting previous statements that he had graduated from Alabama A&M. He later received his B.A. in communications media with a concentration in performance on May 1, 2020, after resolving the outstanding coursework issue with the university.

Mandela Barnes Political Career

Barnes has previously worked on various political campaigns and in Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s office prior to becoming an organizer for M.I.C.A.H., a Milwaukee-based interfaith coalition that advocates for social justice and equality.

From December 2016 to December 2017, he started working as the deputy director of strategic engagement for State Innovation Exchange, a nationwide progressive government policy organization based in Madison.

Mandela Barnes’s Wife. Is he Married?

Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin’s 45th Lieutenant Governor, is single and has no children. He has always been private, never discussing his personal life or dating history.