Wisconsin Governor Candidate Drops Out After Reporting Financial ‘Inaccuracies’

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s exit from the race comes less than a month before the state’s Aug. 11 primary.

Wisconsin Rodrguez

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a Democratic candidate for governor in 2026, speaks at a news conference at a food bank on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Sun Prairie, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer) Scott Bauer/AP

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez suspended her gubernatorial campaign on Friday, just days after reporting “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in campaign finance filings and accusing her former campaign manager of vastly overstating her fundraising totals.

“I am deeply hurt and betrayed by what happened,” Rodriguez said in a video message posted on social media. “I cannot in good conscience let these questions become a cloud over an election that Democrats need to win. Wisconsin deserves better than that.”

The Democrat’s exit from the race comes less than a month before the state’s Aug. 11 primary.