- Mandela Barnes released an economic plan focused on reducing the tax burden for middle-class families.
- The Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate would expand the child tax credit and earned income tax credit.
- Barnes is competing in a competitive multicandidate primary, which will be held on August 9.
Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate Mandela Barnes on Wednesday released a plan aimed at providing relief in the form of tax cuts geared toward middle-class families as inflation persists across the country.
Barnes — the state's lieutenant governor and a leading candidate for his party's nomination to take on two-term Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in the November general election — would push for an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit if he were to serve in the upper chamber. His plan would also include provisions to permit Medicare to negotiate drug prices, terminate subsidies for oil and gas companies, and increase access to affordable child care.
The Milwaukee native and former state representative — who speaks frequently about his middle-class roots on the campaign trail — has pointed to the aforementioned policies as ways to help ease the burden of inflation on families.
"My dad's job on the assembly line and my mom's job as a teacher gave our family a ticket to the middle class," the lieutenant governor said in a statement. "For too long, that's been a ticket too many people can't get anymore, no matter how hard they work. Now, inflation is making life even harder, from prices at the pump to prices at the grocery store."
He added: "So let's tackle inflation head-on by giving middle class families a tax cut, and pay for it by ensuring the wealthiest among us — including Ron Johnson — pay their fair share."
Democrats have sought to paint Johnson — a former plastics executive — as out-of-touch with the concerns of Wisconsin families; they've pointed to his strong support of the 2017 tax-reform bill, which lowered the top corporate-tax rate from 35% to 21% and was signed into law by then-President Donald Trump.
Last year, congressional Democrats pushed through an expanded child tax credit as part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan — which sent payments of $250 to $300 per child via direct deposit from July 2021 through December 2021 and was crafted to reduce poverty and provide families with funds throughout the year for critical expenses.
However, a one-year extension of the credit, which at one point was a centerpiece of the party's proposed Build Back Better legislation, collapsed when opposition to the provision from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia helped doom the larger piece of legislation during congressional negotiations.
The earned income tax credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit intended for lower-and-middle class taxpayers.
Biden and congressional Democratic leaders are working to tackle inflation while also continuing to appeal to voters ahead of an election cycle where Republicans are seeking to use the issue to regain control of Congress.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday released data showing that the Consumer Price Index — a key measure of US inflation — rose 8.6% year over year in May.
Barnes has pointed to both congressional inaction and the tax-reform bill in stressing the need to provide relief to families.
"I know what it's like to struggle to pay the bills and wonder how you'll make ends meet," he said in a statement. "That's why I'm calling on Congress to pass a middle class tax cut to put money back in people's pockets and give working folks a fair shot."
The most recent Marquette University Law School poll released in late April showed Barnes ahead with 19% support, followed by Milwaukee Bucks executive-on-leave Alex Lasry with 16% support, state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski at 7%, and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson at 5%.
The primary will be held on August 9.
Wisconsin, which Biden won in the 2020 presidential election, represents one of the best pickup opportunities for Democrats this year.