Ron Johnson Booed at Debate For Personal Attack On Opponent After Being Asked to Say Something Nice

The second debate between incumbent Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and his challenger Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D-WI) at Marquette University’s Varsity Theatre offered a lot of drama as the two candidates traded bitter insults – something Johnson couldn’t resist even when asked to say something nice about his opponent.

“So our final question here tonight is, both of you have been successful in life. You have 30 seconds here. Mr. Barnes, you go first. What do you find admirable about your opponent?

“Well, no seriously. I do think, you know, 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.”

“Mr. Johnson,” said the moderator asking the Republican to answer as well.

“I mean likewise, I appreciate the fact that Lieutenant Governor Barnes had loving parents, a schoolteacher, father worked third shift. So he had, you know, good upbringing. I guess what puzzles me about that is with that upbringing, why has he turned against America? I mean, what why does he find America awful?” Johnson replied to loud boos from the university crowd, which had jeered him repeatedly throughout the night.

“It puzzles me,” Johnson added as boos continued.

“I said, we said something admirable,” the moderator clarified before moving on.

Johnson maintains a steady, yet slim, lead in the polls despite being gaffe-prone and carrying a high disapproval rating in the deeply divided state. Barnes’s campaign has been plagued by brutal attack ads tying the Democrat to the “Defund the Police” movement and bail reform laws many blame for rising crime.

Watch the full clip above via C-SPAN