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FACT BRIEF

Was Mandela Barnes' complexion darkened in a mailer against him?

By Erin Gretzinger
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YES

A mailer produced by the Wisconsin Republican Party appears to use a filter to darken one side, which contains a picture of Wisconsin Lt. Gov. and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes. Barnes' complexion in the mailer is significantly darker than how it appears in the original photo. The other side, depicting the campaign of Barnes' opponent, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, is not darkened.

Gerard Randall of the Wisconsin Republican Party did not explain the darkening of the photo. Randall, who is Black, responded by pointing out that the main accusers were two white Democratic state lawmakers. 

Supporters of Barnes have accused Republicans of using racist tropes in their ads, including placing Barnes against graffiti backdrops and labeling him as "different" and "dangerous" alongside other Democratic lawmakers of color.

None of the ads in question was made by the Johnson campaign itself. Barnes' campaign called the ads "outright lies" but did not address the racism component.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Mandela Barnes Photo Comparison
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Supporters of Mandela Barnes accuse Republicans of airing racist ads in Senate race with Ron Johnson
Washington Monthly In Wisconsin Senate Race, Democrat Barnes Needs to Fight Without Charging Racism
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.