Barnes PAC spending more on administrative costs, giving less to candidates than average
The group Mandela Barnes created after his failed U.S. Senate run spent four times what the average federal leadership PAC dropped on administrative costs while giving a third as much to other campaigns, a WisPolitics review shows.
But Barnes’ gubernatorial campaign argued focusing on the $138,396 that The Long Run PAC gave directly to other campaigns in 2023-24 doesn’t properly account for the solicitations it made on behalf of others. All told, the campaign says it both raised and directly contributed more than $445,000 for campaigns in the state and nation when also taking into account the first half of 2025.
“Our unique approach has allowed us to mobilize Lt. Gov. Barnes’s sizable base of grassroots support to raise hundreds of thousands for candidates aligned with our mission,” the spokesperson said. “We believe that this approach both aligns with Lt. Gov. Barnes’s values – and is the most effective way for us to help elect candidates who will move the country in the right direction.”
State GOP spokesperson Anika Rickard knocked Barnes over the PAC’s spending.
https://www.wispolitics.com/2025/wispolitics-review-barnes-pac-spending-more-on-administrative-costs-giving-less-to-candidates-than-average/