Sara Rodriguez Drops Out of Wisconsin Governor's Race Amid Campaign Finance Scandal

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez has dropped out of the governor’s race after her campaign discovered major inaccuracies in its financial reports. The errors left her campaign with just $200,000 in cash on hand and prompted calls from rivals for her to exit the crowded Democratic primary.

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez announced Friday that she is ending her campaign for governorship of Wisconsin. The decision comes just days after her campaign uncovered significant problems with its financial reporting, throwing the wide open Democratic primary into further uncertainty.

Rodriguez explained her decision in a video posted to X, telling supporters that a deeper look into her campaign’s financial records revealed issues she could not ignore. She said the problems would likely continue to distract from the race, both during the primary and beyond, at a time when the stakes for Wisconsin are too high to risk that kind of disruption.

“I cannot, in good conscience, allow these questions to become a cloud over an election that Democrats need to win. Wisconsin deserves better than that,” she said.

Her exit is a major shake up in the battle to succeed Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms. Rodriguez had been considered one of the frontrunners heading into the primary.

The fallout was swift. Several of Rodriguez’s rivals in the Democratic primary publicly called on her to drop out, with some describing the situation as disqualifying for a statewide candidate.

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By Monday, the full scope of the damage became clear. Rodriguez told reporters her campaign actually had only $200,000 in cash on hand once the errors were corrected, a steep drop from what had previously been reported.

Whoever wins the Aug. 11 Democratic primary is expected to face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in the general election, setting up another closely watched contest in a state known for tight, high stakes elections.

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