Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez announced Monday that her campaign has uncovered significant accounting problems that left it with substantially less cash than campaign reports indicated, but she said the campaign will continue.
Rodriguez said ads she expected to run last week did not air because invoices were unpaid. After examining reports, the campaign concluded contributions had been double counted and expenses undercounted. She said the discrepancy reduced available funds by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At a news conference at campaign headquarters, Rodriguez said she had fired her campaign manager late Sunday and that the campaign had notified the Wisconsin Ethics Commission to begin correcting filings.
"This campaign is going to move forward,"
"I am hurt, angry and deeply disappointed by someone I trusted to run my campaign,"
Rodriguez would not offer a final reconciled total Monday, saying staff were still working through the records. She said the campaign had raised about $1 million and had roughly $200,000 cash on hand when she spoke, and that her team is preparing the next financial report covering the first six months of the year, which is due Wednesday.
Immediate fallout and context
The disclosure comes amid a crowded Democratic primary for Wisconsin's open governor's seat. Rodriguez faces democratic socialist Francesca Hong, former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes and three other Democratic contenders. The Aug. 11 primary winner will face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November; Tiffany has faced only token primary opposition.
Last week, Rodriguez announced a $1 million television ad buy. When the ads did not begin airing as expected, Rodriguez said she pressed for answers and ultimately uncovered the campaign accounting problems.
After Rodriguez announced the ad buy, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley dropped out of the race and endorsed Rodriguez.
What voters and donors should know
- The campaign has reported about $1 million in total fundraising and roughly $200,000 in cash on hand while books are reconciled.
- Rodriguez fired her campaign manager after identifying the errors and has told the Wisconsin Ethics Commission about the issue.
- The campaign's next official finance disclosure, covering the first half of the year, is due Wednesday.
Campaign accounting issues can affect advertising, field operations and voter outreach in the closing weeks before a primary. Rodriguez said supporters remain committed and vowed to press on as her team repairs the financial records and corrects filings.
The campaign did not provide an exact revised cash total Monday. The investigation into the bookkeeping is ongoing, and the campaign said it will work with state authorities to amend previous filings as needed.
| Item | Amount (reported) |
|---|---|
| Fundraising to date | $1 million (approx.) |
| Cash on hand | $200,000 (approx.) |
| TV ad buy announced | $1 million |
| Democratic primary date | Aug. 11 |
As the campaign reconciles its records, Rodriguez faces both internal rebuilding and the public challenge of restoring confidence among donors and voters. How quickly the campaign resolves the discrepancies and resumes its planned advertising and outreach could shape the final weeks of the Democratic primary.
Brooke Steiner, News Block.
