Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, D-Wis., dropped out of the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on Thursday.

Barnes made the announcement in a post to social media.

"It's become very clear who our nominee is gonna be," he said. "We have to do everything to beat Tom Tiffany."

His withdrawal all but ensures that progressive candidate Francesca Hong will become the Democratic candidate, setting up a likely match between her and Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.

The race is expected to be one of the more competitive battles for governor's mansions in the midterms.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.