Barnes says Evers not interested in Obama-Trump voters

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The Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor says he is not interested in people who voted for Barack Obama and then switched to Donald Trump, if they still support the president.

The comment from Mandela Barnes drew criticism from the Wisconsin Republican Party. GOP spokesman Alec Zimmerman on Thursday called the remarks “outrageous” and “insulting to millions of hard-working Wisconsinites.”

Barnes said Wednesday that the race is “not about the Obama-Trump voters. If they voted for Obama and they voted for Trump and they’re still with him, you can keep them.”

Barnes says he and Democratic governor candidate Tony Evers are after the Obama voters who didn’t show up in 2016.

In a statement Thursday, Barnes said he could have been more clear to make the point that “we can’t forget about the people in Wisconsin who feel forgotten by politicians of both parties.”

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