Sara Rodriguez Quits Wisconsin Race After $1 Million Shortfall as David Crowley Re-enters
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 17
Sara Rodriguez Quits Wisconsin Race After $1 Million Shortfall as David Crowley Re-enters
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 17
Summary
Rodriguez ended her gubernatorial bid less than a month before Election Day after a donation-counting scandal gutted her campaign and left Democrats scrambling for a replacement.
A finance report showed just $35,000 cash on hand after months of overstated donations; Rodriguez fired her campaign manager, and a botched amendment briefly showed more than $600,000 before reverting.
Crowley, who had dropped out and endorsed Rodriguez less than two weeks ago, said Friday he was jumping back in, though strategists warned his return could further split moderates rather than stop Francesca Hong.
Hong, a 37-year-old democratic socialist, has surged alongside Mandela Barnes in polling, unnerving centrists who fear she would struggle against Republican Tom Tiffany despite a favorable year for Democrats.
The turmoil threatens Democrats' best shot since 2010 at unified control in Wisconsin, while Tiffany sits on nearly $3 million and Republicans spend $2 million boosting Hong's profile.