Endorsement Hall of Shame: Wisconsin Governor Primary Edition

Apr 27, 2026
Beth Brelje
Culture War

Democrats genuinely want to be judged by the weird company they keep.

Political candidates love to brag about endorsements. They send out press releases and post on social media promoting the people in their corner. It can be an effective strategy; Republicans know an endorsement from President Donald Trump boosts their clout.

Voters can learn something about candidates by the company they keep. But not every endorser impresses the public the way candidates believe. In Wisconsin’s crowded Democratic primary governor’s race, endorsements are trickling in for some of the eight candidates. While meant to impress voters, pride over these sketchy endorsements should call into question candidate judgement.

Here are some notable endorsements.

Ilhan Omar Endorses Francesca Hong

Francesca Hong, the leading Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidate, says she is “honored” to be endorsed by congressional pariah Ilhan Omar, who represents Minnesota’s disastrous fifth congressional district. That's Minneapolis—ground zero for the 2020 George Floyd riots and government corruption, where the streets smell like dope and the culture is mostly Somali poverty.

Omar’s is the 13th most Democratic district in the nation—it is almost impossible for a Republican to get elected there. For example, Ilhan Omar won reelection in 2024 with 261,066 total votes—67 percent of participating voters, compared to Republican challenger Dalia Al-Aqidi’s 86,213 total votes—just 33 percent of the votes. If a rock ran on the Democratic ticket in Minnesota District 5, the rock would win.

Wisconsin is not deep blue like that. It is not even reliably blue. That is why it is strange to see Hong boast about the Omar endorsement. Hong will need to convince more than her fringe fans like Omar that legalizing marijuana and prostitution are core winning strategies for Wisconsin. Obviously she offers nothing for Republicans, but she is not even trying to attract voters in the middle who are right to be turned off by Hong.     

Adam Schiff Endorses Mandela Barnes

Former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, failed Senate candidate, and currently unemployed Mandela Barnes has been endorsed by master liar Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA). Remember that time in 2023 when Schiff was censured by the U.S. House for unbecoming conduct and lying to the American people?

Schiff famously rewrote and acted out his own noir version of a phone call between Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and tried to pass it off as fact, in one of Schiff’s many attempts to take Trump down. It would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so slimy.

Schiff claimed he had “evidence” that Trump colluded with Russia to rig the 2016 election but never produced the alleged evidence. Ultimately the Russia hoax has been debunked so we all know Schiff lied—he never had any evidence. Last year the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency made a criminal referral in Schiff’s name to the Department of Justice, saying Mr. “nobody is above the law” Schiff may have lied on mortgage papers to improperly get a better interest rate on one of his homes.

Incredibly, Barnes is untroubled by Schiff’s scummy reputation as a documented liar and embraces his endorsement.

Radical Teachers Union Endorses Kelda Roys 

State Sen. Kelda Roys has picked up an endorsement from the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the state arm of the hard-left National Education Association (NEA) which gets involved in all kinds on issues not related to reading, writing, and arithmetic.

NEA opposes the SAVE America Act that would require voters to show a photo ID.

Defund ICE, says NEA.

Let federal workers have collective bargaining.

End standardized testing requirements for college and give all children taxpayer-funded school meals—the NEA often strays from education but is always on-message with its leftist agenda.

As a former lobbyist and executive director for NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, Roys needs no help defining herself as a radical, but she has already carried water for WEAC, advocating for higher teacher pay and killing school vouchers.

“I think it's totally unacceptable that we continue to subsidize this private voucher scheme, especially to the tune of 90 percent reimbursement for special ed,” Roys said in a 2025 PBS TV interview. “Meanwhile, the vast majority of Wisconsin kids are educated in our public schools, and they're having to scrimp and scrape and cut really important services for all kids so that they can meet the needs of students with special education.”

Wisconsin spent $15,409 per pupil in the 2024–2025 school year. Yet homeschooled students manage to thrive, even with families spending an average of $600 a year on their education. With Roys as governor, Wisconsin would be at the mercy of the national and state teachers unions.

The Rest of the Pack

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez has a few endorsements from state Democrats, including legislators, county supervisors, mayors and people like Jane Rusch, Wausau School Board Member. Nothing that grabs voters’ attention.

Similarly, David Crowley has the endorsement of various Wisconsin Democrats, most prominently, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

Candidates Joel Brennan and Missy Hughes have not boasted about any endorsements yet.

Brett Hulsey, polling at zero percent according to the most recent Marquette University Law School poll, barely has a campaign, barely has a website, and certainly has no endorsements.

It is worth considering, which is better: No endorsements at all, or promoting an alignment with the most extreme members of the fractured Democrat party. We can and should judge candidates by the company they keep.

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Beth Brelje is a Senior Political Investigator for Restoration News, focusing on state and federal elections, laws, legislation and the effects policies have on us all. She has nearly 40 years of media experience. 

Email Beth here.

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