Wisconsin Senate's 4th District: Lena Taylor defeats challenger Mandela Barnes in partisan primary
MILWAUKEE -- Senator Lena Taylor was challenged by Representative Mandela Barnes in the partisan primary election Tuesday, August 9th in the race for a seat in the Wisconsin Senate's 4th District -- and Taylor won, the Associated Press reported around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Taylor sits on the state's budget writing committee. The well-entrenched incumbent faced an up-and-comer in the party in the primary.
Barnes and Taylor, both Democrats, are the only two running for this Senate seat -- so Taylor is all but guaranteed the seat.
Barnes decided to give up his Assembly seat in an unusual primary challenge of Taylor. The 29-year-old Barnes argued that he would provide a fresh perspective, while the 50-year-old Taylor said she was more experienced and a better fit for the district.
Barnes was first elected to the Assembly in 2012.
Lena Taylor
Taylor has been a senator since 2004. Tuesday was the first time she has faced a primary opponent, and the race was heated.
Taylor was quick to point out that Barnes has never passed a law in his four years in the Wisconsin Assembly, and Taylor was on the defensive in an effort to keep her Senate seat.
"The truth matters, and it has been difficult because it has been lie after lie," Taylor said.
Lena Taylor
In the days leading up to Tuesday's partisan primary, Taylor said Barnes' mailers claiming she supported Governor Scott Walker on guns and education are not truthful.
Taylor gathered with supporters at The Big Eazy on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in Milwaukee to watch the results come in on Tuesday night.
Earlier Tuesday, Taylor was all smiles as she headed to her polling location at Rufus King High School to cast her ballot. We're told she was out trying to get voters to the polls up to the wire.
Lena Taylor
FOX6 News on Tuesday spoke with a Taylor supporter who taught Mandela Barnes, who said they were disappointed he chose to run against the three-term senator.
"It's sad because he could have ran for the 6th District. He had a choice, and I feel most of the time it's by design," the Taylor supporter said.
Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.