Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, abandoned his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor on Thursday.
His exit came as State Representative Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, has built a broad base of support and polled well ahead of Mr. Barnes and other more moderate candidates. In a message posted online announcing his exit, Mr. Barnes said “it has become very clear who our nominee is going to be.”
Ms. Hong’s campaign has energized voters across the state in recent weeks, drawing a younger crowd to campaign events and pressing a platform that includes allowing local governments to raise income taxes on high earners and putting a freeze on the construction of new data centers.
Some Democrats, however, have expressed concern that Ms. Hong’s policies might be unpalatable to moderate voters in the general election. Wisconsin is about evenly divided by Republicans and Democrats. Gov. Tony Evers, the Democratic incumbent, decided not to seek a third term.
Representative Tom Tiffany is expected to be the Republican nominee.
The primary election is set for Aug. 11. Ms. Hong still faces several opponents in the primary, including David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, who is running with Mr. Evers’s endorsement.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
