Is this a thing? I don’t remember this being a thing. Barnes is about to be the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. Of course the Wisconsin Democratic Party endorses him. Who else would they endorse? Has a political party ever endorsed someone other than their own candidate?
“The Democratic Party of Wisconsin proudly endorsed Mandela Barnes for the United States Senate,” Chair Ben Wikler said in a statement.
It is an endorsement for the primary and yes, while it isn’t very common it most definitely is a “thing”.
For example, In 2010 the WI-GOP endorsed Ron Johnson for Senator and Scott Walker for Governor. By doing so, the state party (which is able to receive unlimited donations) was then allowed to actively campaign for those candidates leading up to the primary election rather than having to wait until afterwards.
At the Republican State convention this year, “no endorsement” was an option on the ballot and that choice won in all the races that had competitive primaries.