Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, a Democrat candidate for US Senate, called said about America, "Things were bad. Things were terrible. The founding of this nation? Awful!"
The video, obtained exclusively by "The Dan O'Donnell Show," was taken at an event in Portage last August. Barnes was addressing his belief that America as founded was a deeply flawed, racist nation.
He has not offered an explanation for this sentiment or whether he still believes America's founding was "awful."
Barnes, who was elected alongside Governor Tony Evers in 2018, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate.
The latest Marquette University Law School Poll shows him locked in a tight primary battle with State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry.
The winner will face two-term Republican Senator Ron Johnson tris November.