Sara Rodriguez exits Wisconsin governor race after finance mess
The Democratic lieutenant governor quit after campaign finance errors left questions over her once-leading bid.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ended her run for governor Friday after her campaign found major problems in its finance reports, abruptly taking one of the better-known Democrats out of a crowded primary.
Rodriguez announced the decision in a video posted to X, saying the campaign’s financial questions had become too much of a burden for the race.
“As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear that there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction, not just for this campaign, but for the primary and for Wisconsin,” Rodriguez said in the video. “This race is too important to let that happen.”
She added that she could not allow the questions to hang over an election Democrats “need to win,” saying Wisconsin “deserves better.”
A campaign finance blowup
The move came days after Rodriguez’s campaign said it had found “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in its campaign finance filings, according to NBC News. The campaign fired campaign manager Kara Spencer after the discovery, NBC News reported, citing earlier reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Among the problems, according to NBC News, were duplicated donations that made the campaign’s fundraising and cash-on-hand totals look larger than they were.
Rodriguez told reporters Monday that the review showed her campaign had only $200,000 available, according to NBC News.
The finance trouble quickly turned into a political crisis. NBC News reported that several Democratic rivals urged Rodriguez to leave the race, with some calling the situation “disqualifying.”
A primary scramble in a battleground state
Rodriguez had been viewed as a leading contender in the Democratic race to replace Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms. Her exit changes the shape of a primary already packed with candidates in one of the country’s most closely watched battleground states.
Earlier this summer, Rodriguez finished first in an unscientific straw poll at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention, according to WisPolitics. She also picked up endorsements from two former primary rivals who recently left the contest: former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
The Democrats still running include state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist who has gained momentum in recent weeks, according to NBC News, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who narrowly lost Wisconsin’s 2022 U.S. Senate race.
Joel Brennan, a former Department of Administration secretary, and state Sen. Kelda Roys are also seeking the Democratic nomination.
Public polling has been limited. A Marquette University Law School poll from March found Hong at 14% and Barnes at 11%, with no other candidate above 3%. The same survey found 65% of respondents were undecided.
The Democratic primary is scheduled for Aug. 11. NBC News reported that the winner is expected to face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in the general election.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.