EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Mandela Barnes made his case to college voters Wednesday morning.
The Lieutenant Governor was at a campaign event at UW-Eau Claire talking to young voters, some of which are first time voters.
Barnes told students that the midterm elections are just as important as presidential elections.
He is running to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in the upcoming election less than two weeks away.
Barnes spoke to students about the economy, abortion rights and health care. He put it in his way by saying “trying to make the lives of younger generations easier.”
While at the event he also spoke about his opponent, claiming Sen. Johnson is trying to do away with the Affordable Care Act and on him not being focused on job growth in Wisconsin.
Barnes says Wisconsin has a strong university system and can remain that way if the cost of college doesn’t deter students from applying.
“We have one of the strongest university systems in the country… the way we keep it strong is by continuously attracting students, but if students are not going to choose college as an option because of they can’t afford it, then we are doing a whole generation of people a disservice,” said Lt. Gov. Barnes.
He also added that college affordability is the root cause of student debt and keeping people from entering the middle class.
“What we need to do for students? We got to lower costs. When people talk about student loan forgiveness, we got to get to the root cause, college affordable in general…. If you look at the state’s share of support for University here in Wisconsin over the generations, it’s decline significantly. We got to get more money to the state so they can support the university system,” said Barnes.
A Spokesperson for Sen. Johnson’s campaign sent WEAU a statement:
“Lt. Gov. Barnes is closing this campaign like he started it: lying about Ron Johnson and hiding his support for Biden’s reckless economic agenda that has fueled inflation and his dangerous policies to defund the police, abolish ICE, and let criminals walk free. Barnes would make Wisconsin less prosperous and less safe for all communities.”
Early voting is already underway, and if you have not registered to vote yet, you have up until election day to do so.
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