Why AP called the Wisconsin Senate race for Ron Johnson
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Ron Johnson's lead over Democrat Mandela Barnes was large enough after all the votes from Democratic strongholds in Wisconsin had been counted that Barnes couldn't close the gap.
That enabled The Associated Press to call the race Wednesday for the Republican incumbent, who won a third term. The AP determined that there were no more votes left to count in Democrat-leaning counties like Milwaukee and Dane and that Barnes couldn't catch up with the votes left to be tallied elsewhere.
Barnes and Johnson got personal in the closing days of the race.
Barnes said Johnson had “done nothing” while in the Senate and that he enriched himself and his wealthy donors who benefited from the tax cut under former President Donald Trump.
Johnson defended his accomplishments and said his rival had none “whatsoever.”
Johnson sought the third term despite saying he’d run for only two. He said he intended to run for only two terms but that things had changed.
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AP journalist Mike Catalini can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini
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Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
