MADISON, Wis. — Milwaukee Bucks According to his campaign spokesperson, Alex Lasry will drop out of Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate Race on Wednesday. It is less than two months before the Democratic primary to decide who will face Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.
Lasry’s resignation would make Lasry the Lt. Governor. Mandela Barnes is the top Democratic candidate in this hotly contested primary, which will be one of the most difficult-fought Senate races this election year. The race in battleground Wisconsin which Donald Trump narrowly won but lost by nearly the same amount of votes in 2016, could decide which party has majority control of the 50-50 Senate.
Public polls have shown Barnes leading, with all but one showing a close race to Lasry. Barnes’ campaign released an intern poll this week which shows Barnes leading Lasry by fourteen points.
Sarah Godlewski, State Treasurer of Indiana, and other lesser-known candidates are still involved in the race. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson endorsed Barnes on Monday. Thad Nation said that Lasry would endorse Barnes.
Lasry, 35, had already spent more than $12.3million of his own money for the race. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported his plan to withdraw.
Lasry was raised in New York City. In 2014, his billionaire father bought the NBA’s Bucks. Lasry moved to Milwaukee. Lasry was an executive vice-president for the team. He often spoke out about his connection with the 2021 champion Bucks.
Lasry had planned to announce his decision not to race Wednesday afternoon at Fiserv Forum, where Bucks play.
Although Lasry and Nelson will be ending their campaigns this week both their names will still appear on the primary ballot. On Tuesday, absentee voting in person began in the state.