WI drama:
Rodriguez' Missing Cash
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez was a front runner for the Wisconsin Democratic Party Primary scheduled for August 11. On July 7 the candidate noticed hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign ads were not running. The next day the campaign learned stations had not been paid. On the ninth, Rodriguez realized the campaign was missing "hundreds of thousands of dollars." (Benson).
Rodriguez fired campaign manager Kara Spencer, on July 12. Spencer was miscounting contributions and under reporting expenses. (Beck and Opolen). Lt. Gov. Rodriguez left the race on July 17. This is bad timing for the centrist liberal establishment which had begun to coalesce behind Rodriguez against lefty candidates during a national surge of democratic socialism and anti-Trump dissatisfaction. Missy Hughes and David Crowley recently dropped out and endorsed the Lt. Gov. The remaining candidates are Hong the DSAer, Barnes recently a failed senate candidate and the Lt. Gov. before Rodriguez, bureaucrat Brennan and state Sen. Roys. Sitting Gov. Evers is expected to endorse Crowley back into the race--predictably undermining the progressive wing of his own party--now that Rodriguez is out. (Edelman).
This campaign will be remembered for hundreds of thousands of missing dollars and a scape goated campaign manager. Rodriguez' campaign qualifications, now moot, should have kept her from being unwittingly took.
While leaning into very real nursing credentials in campaign ads, Rodriguez' most recent professional experience is representing insurance companies (The Benefit Services Group, Inc 2011-4); patient self-monitoring manufacturers (Honeywell Life Care Solutions 2014-7); and value based care at Aurora Health (2017-20). This is fifteen years of being a bureaucrat, in sales, streamlining, balancing benefits with quality of care and filing paperwork. It appears that during the second half of her medical career she existed in a pragmatic Romney-Care liberal middle--maximizing insurance benefits instead of demanding single payer. It was decades before that she was a Peace Corps volunteer, public health worker or R.N.--the persona that she played on TV. (bio lifted from wikipedia)
There is nothing wrong with synergizing human resources and bestowing health care access (its not exactly inspiring to progressives). Her experience outside of the medical field is where Rodriguez developed responsibility for both the hiring of Spencer and the campaign's financial mismanagement. Mismanagement of personnel and finances--her top line resume skills--are why she is out of the race. It will be interesting to see if she resurfaces in two years to run for a seat in 'Tosa or gets a public health offer from an incoming democratic administration. If Barnes is any example, there is a limited bench of WI Democratic candidates for statewide office and the party will keep running them ad nauseam.
Campaigns are to expensive. The news media are funded by campaigns through these ads. We cannot expect the resulting coverage to be unaffected by this relationship. The art of fundraising is different from governing and a poor test for political office. Democratic popularity is only slightly better (but its the best we've got). Losing hundreds of thousands of dollars while continuing to raise money codes like venture capitalist, problem gambler or late-stage Citizens-United-era American politician.
sources:
Molly Beck and Jessie Opolen "Governor candidate Sara Rodriguez fires campaign head for finance inaccuracies" (12 July 2026) Milwauke:jsonline.
Charles Benson "A Look at the days prior to shake-up within Sara Rodriguez's campaign for Governor" (14 July 2026) Milwaukee:WTMJ.
Adam Edelman "Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez drops out of the governor's race" (17 July 2026) NBC News.