All eyes on Wisconsin U.S. Senate race

Now that the primary election is over, the field is set for November’s general election. That means an onslaught of negative advertising is heading our way for the next three months. One race in particular is being watched closely because it has the potential to shift the balance of the power in the US Senate. Incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson will meet Democratic candidate, Mandela Barnes, and this one is going to get testy. Actually, it already has. Each candidate has painted the other as out of touch and extreme. Johnson claims Barnes is too liberal and a career politician, recently referring to his opponent as a “progressive puppet.” But polls suggest Johnson may be the most vulnerable Republican U.S. Senator up for election, and a Barnes win could give democrats majority control of the Senate. Barnes has targeted Johnson for seeing the GOP Senator’s company benefit from a corporate tax break Johnson helped pass, and for being a conspiracy theorist, and a “Trumper.” With this much on the line in this one race, it is going to draw lots of money from the political parties and outside interests, and that means all those negative attack ads. Tens of millions of dollars will pour in, with each side accusing the other of being bad for Wisconsin, extreme, and out of touch. It is likely to be a loud, and long, three months.