Wisconsin Democrat Lt. Gov. Drops Out of Governor Race Amid Financial Scandal, Exposing Party Disarray
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Democratic Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez abruptly ended her campaign for governor after serious financial mismanagement was uncovered, highlighting ongoing chaos and lack of accountability within the Democratic Party.
Democratic lieutenant governor Sara Rodriguez announced Friday that she is dropping out of the Wisconsin governor’s race after her campaign was forced to admit to major inaccuracies in its finance reports. In a video posted to X, Rodriguez claimed the issues would be a continual distraction for the campaign and the primary, saying she could not let “these questions become a cloud over an election that Democrats need to win.”
Rodriguez’s campaign was compelled to disclose on Sunday that it had found “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in its finance filings, including duplicated contributions that grossly overstated the amount of money raised and on hand. The audit revealed the campaign had only about $200,000 in cash, resulting in the firing of campaign manager Kara Spencer.
The withdrawal throws the already chaotic Democratic primary in the swing state into further disarray. Rodriguez, who had previously led in an informal straw poll at the state party convention and received endorsements from former Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, both of whom had also recently abandoned their campaigns, leaves the field even more fractured.
Remaining candidates include state Rep. Francesca Hong, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, former Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan, and state Sen. Kelda Roys—all representing the left-wing agenda of the Democratic Party. Barnes posted on X that he has “immense respect” for Rodriguez and invited her supporters to join his campaign, while Roys called for party unity and Brennan tried to shift focus to his own record.
A March poll by Marquette University Law School showed Hong at 14% and Barnes at 11% among voters, with most respondents undecided—demonstrating the lack of enthusiasm for the Democratic field. The winner of the Aug. 11 Democratic primary will face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has the strong backing of President Donald Trump, in the November general election—a clear choice for Wisconsin voters seeking real leadership.