July 17, 2026
By THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez abandoned her Democratic primary campaign for governor on Friday, citing financial concerns she said would be a distraction were she to continue running in the Midwestern battleground state.
The move comes just days after Rodriguez, a leading establishment Democrat from the pivotal Milwaukee suburbs, fired her campaign manager after discovering her campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less on hand than expected.
“As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction,” Rodriguez said in a social media post Friday. “Part of being a leader is taking swift action, doing the right thing and being as honest as possible when there’s a problem.”
“And because I believe that, I cannot, in good conscience, allow these questions to become a cloud over an election Democrats need to win,” she added.
The shake-up comes less than a month from the primary election on Aug. 11, when Democrats will be choosing a successor to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who opted not to seek a third term.
Rodriguez had been endorsed by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who quit his campaign on July 8, over remaining Democratic candidates, including democratic socialist Francesca Hong, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and others.
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