Key facts
- Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez has suspended her campaign for governor.
- The suspension is due to issues discovered in campaign financial reports.
- Rodriguez stated these issues would be an ongoing distraction for the campaign and the state.
- The campaign discovered that some donations had been double-counted, resulting in less cash on hand than previously reported.
- Rodriguez had previously stated she would not drop out of the race after initial discoveries.
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez has suspended her campaign for governor, citing campaign finance irregularities that she believes would be a distraction to the primary and the state. Rodriguez stated that a review of her campaign's financial reports revealed issues that could overshadow an election Democrats need to win.
The decision follows Rodriguez's disclosure that she fired her campaign manager after discovering "serious mismanagement and inaccuracies in campaign finance filings." Reports indicated that some donations had been double-counted, leaving the campaign with significantly less cash on hand than previously thought, with reports showing just under $35,000 in cash on hand.
Rodriguez had previously stated she would not drop out of the race, calling the inaccuracies not "disqualifying." However, her primary rivals, including Mandela Barnes and presumed Republican nominee Tom Tiffany, had questioned her ability to manage state finances. Other candidates, such as State Senator Kelda Roys, have called for party unity to defeat Tiffany in the November general election.
Rodriguez is also reportedly the subject of a complaint from the Wisconsin Federation of Republican Women regarding a $1,500 donation that was recorded but allegedly never received by the group.