MILWAUKEE — The Senate race for the Wisconsin primary has been an interesting one over the last few weeks. 

With many on the Democratic ticket withdrawing from the race — such as Alex Lasry, Tom Nelson and Sarah Godlewski — Mandela Barnes will have a better shot as the Democrat on the November ticket. However, you will still see the other candidates’ names on your ballot when casting your vote Tuesday.

Many that withdrew said they want a strong Democrat in Wisconsin’s Senate race seat to go up against current Sen. Ron Johnson, who is running for his third term.

Mordecai Lee, professor of Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, said he believes more people will vote for the gubernatorial race during this primary. He said on this ballot, Wisconsinites can only vote Democrat or Republican, so they might lean more toward voting in the governor race to really make their vote count.

“I think some of the independently inclined voters who decided they were going to vote in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, now there is sort of less of an appeal because in a sense, the race is sort of pretty well settled,” Lee said. “I think all those independent voters are going to vote in the Republican primary for governor simply because that’s where the action is. The voters want their votes to be important. They want their votes to count and if there is any race for their votes to count, it is the Republican primary for governor.”

Right now, some of the biggest issues Johnson is focusing on are inflation, remaining tough on crime and supporting law enforcement.

Meanwhile, Barnes is running on building back the middle class and bringing more manufacturing jobs to the state of Wisconsin.

However, Lee said many of the issues the two candidates are focusing on now may be different by the time the November election rolls around.

“Whatever we think might be the big motivating issue in November, it might be hard to tell what it might be. For example, the new bill that just passed the Senate dealing with climate change and medicare and things that really touch people, for all we know that might be the issue. On the other hand, it might be inflation,” Lee said.

The polls for the primary open Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.