Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson recently debated his midterm Democratic opponent, Mandela Barnes, and overall put on a solid showing, as he typically does.
However, the left-leaning The Hill made sure to report that Johnson, at the end of the debate, received a round of boos from some in the audience, simply because one of his last statements didn’t sit right with some.
The two candidates met up at Marquette University for a second and final showdown ahead of the November midterms.
The boos from the audience came when Johnson answered a question differently than his opponent.
What happened?
Closing out the debate, the moderator hit them both with one final challenge, asking both candidates what they found admirable in each other.
Barnes, who answered first, spoke highly of Johnson being a good family man.
“The senator has proven to be a family man, and I think that’s admirable. You know, that’s absolutely to be respected. He speaks about his family. [He’s] done a lot to provide for them. I absolutely respect that,” Barnes said, eliticiting applause from the audience.
When it was Johnson’s turn to answer the question, his reply started off similar to Barnes’, until it changed at the very end, appearing to trigger boos and disapproval from the audience members.
“I mean, likewise, I appreciate the fact that Lt. Gov. Barnes had loving parents, a school teacher, father who worked third shift. So he had a good upbringing,” Johnson said.
He added: “I guess what puzzles me about that is with that upbringing, why has he turned against America?”
The race is everything
The Wisconsin race is one of a handful that analysts from both sides are watching extremely closely, as only a few seats will shift the balance of power in the upper chamber.
Hopefully, Johnson’s answer didn’t hurt him too badly, and hopefully he’ll pull out a victory on Nov. 8.