Democrat Wisconsin Senate candidate Mandela Barnes announced plans on Wednesday to refocus his struggling campaign against Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on abortion, the sixth most important issue to Wisconsinites.

While inflation and crime are the top two most important issues to voters, according to a recent Marquette Law School survey, Barnes is reintroducing the issue of abortion into his campaign message.

Barnes has been under tremendous heat from Johnson’s attack ads that have labeled Barnes as soft on crime. The Barnes campaign plans to respond by attacking Johnson at abortion rallies, dubbed “Ron Against Roe.” It has also launched ads touting its pro-abortion position.

“A woman’s freedom to choose is absolutely on the ballot this year and this goes beyond party lines,” Barnes told Politico.

Questions remain if Barnes’s focus on the sixth most important issue in the race will help him overcome his five point deficit in the polls.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, and his Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes wait for start of a televised debate, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Inflation and crime are the most pressing issues for Wisconsinites. Barnes has a radical position on both issues that have apparently been difficult to support throughout the midterm race.

Barnes has backed President Joe Biden’s massive spending and the war on American energy that have fueled inflation. He also has stated he supports defunding police, a position he has unsuccessfully tried to walk back. He also supports allowing felons to retain the right to vote and thinks police do not prevent crimes.

When asked in 2018 if he thought the inmate population could be cut in half, Barnes replied, “Absolutely! That’s something that happens over time.”

According to Wisconsin Right Now, Barnes has allowed at least 884 convicted criminals back onto the streets by releasing them on parole.

In Friday’s debate last week, Johnson slammed Barnes for his prison policies. “They’ve already reduced it 15 percent. And they’ve paroled about 884 criminals. You’d think they start with nonviolent. No. Only 11 percent were nonviolent – about 100 criminals,” he said.

“If you want to reduce crime, first of all, you have to fully fund the police. My opponent is opposed to fully fronting police budgets, to keep criminals in jail,” Johnson added.

The next debate between the candidates is Thursday at 7 PM EST.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.