Barnes’ security costs become campaign issue in Senate run

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, has logged more than 10 times as many hours of security as his predecessor, an issue that Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is raising in the hotly contested race. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday that Barnes averaged more than 13½ hours of security protection a day at a daily cost to the state of $660 for patrol officers’ wages. Barnes’ security was an issue early in his term as lieutenant governor. Alec Zimmerman, Johnson’s campaign spokesperson, calls the rising costs “outrageous and unprecedented.” Barnes spokeswoman Maddy McDaniel says the State Patrol decides when and how much security to provide.