Who is Sara Rodriguez? Wisconsin lieutenant governor drops out of gubernatorial primary, ‘deeply hurt’ after firing campaign manager
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez announces termination of her campaign democracy gubernatorial primary Wisconsinin a public statement attributed the decision to issues related to financial reporting.
Rodriguez chose to fire longtime campaign manager Kara Spencer on July 13 due to what she called “gross mismanagement” and discrepancies in financial reporting that led to Rodriguez’s exit, WISN reported.
Rodriguez mentioned that during that time, she realized her campaign manager had double-counted certain donations, leaving the campaign with about $200,000 in cash as the final month of the primary approached.
Sara Rodriguez says she’s ‘deeply hurt and betrayed’
“As we continue to dig deeper into our financial reporting, it’s clear that there are issues that will continue to be a distraction — not just for this campaign, but for the primary and the state of Wisconsin,” Rodriguez According to WISN. “This game is too important for Wisconsin to let that happen.”
“I am deeply hurt and betrayed by what happened. As I said on Monday, part of being a leader is to act quickly, do the right thing and be as honest as possible when something goes wrong,” she said.
Sara Rodriguez thanks family and supporters
In her statement, Rodriguez thanked her family and supporters and said her motivation for running was to pursue what she believes is in the best interest of Wisconsin.
“Because I believe this, I cannot in good conscience let these issues cloud an election that Democrats need to win. Wisconsin deserves better,” she noted.
“To everyone who shows up, knocks on the door, calls, believes in what we’re building — don’t stop,” Rodriguez said. “Wisconsin has always been a vibrant place where citizens show up and accomplish extraordinary things every day. Better days are ahead because of people like you.”
Sarah Rodriguez’s Campaign Finance Report
Rodriguez has raised a total of $561,817, including $34,990 in cash available in her first half of the year, according to campaign finance reports filed before the midnight deadline. “The former staff member responsible for preparing our campaign finance information provided limited documentation prior to the termination, and we are continuing to gather the full picture. We expect to revise our report as more information becomes available.”
Public court records show Spencer is involved in two lawsuits in small claims court and faces an eviction notice for unpaid rent and fees of more than $8,000 last summer, WISN reported.
Wisconsin gubernatorial race: Who are the other candidates?
Rodriguez is one of five candidates still in the Democratic primary, including Mandela Barnes, Joel Brennan, Francesca Hong and Kelda Royce.
Reported fundraising amounts for the first half were as follows: Barnes raised $841,358 and had $204,207 cash on hand; Hong raised $708,884 and had $410,563 cash on hand; Brennan raised $665,627 and had $359,583 cash on hand; Roys raised $527,432 and had $406,492 cash on hand.
The primary election is scheduled for August 11.
