A formal ethics complaint has been filed against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mandela Barnes and his political action committee over its spending practices.
A Madison voter lodged the complaint Monday with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, according to records obtained by the Milwaukee Courier. It alleges The Long Run PAC, which Barnes founded after his 2022 U.S. Senate loss, violated state campaign finance laws by failing to register for weeks and exceeding spending limits.
The filing followed a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review showing the PAC distributed less than 15% of its spending from 2023 to 2025 directly to candidates. Barnes created the committee to “invest in working class candidates, young candidates, candidates of color, and LGBTQ+ candidates.” Most of its outlays instead went to administrative costs, consultants and salaries.
Barnes’ campaign has said it is “completely confident” it is complying with campaign finance law. It previously described some early PAC activity as “testing the waters” for a possible candidacy–a federal concept that does not apply to Wisconsin registration rules, the complaint states.
