Sara Rodriguez Fires Campaign Manager Over Finance Mismanagement

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor and gubernatorial candidate Sara Rodriguez fired her campaign manager, Kara Spencer, on July 12 and 13, 2026, following the discovery of serious mismanagement and inaccuracies in campaign finance reports. Rodriguez announced the termination during a news conference in Madison, detailing how incomplete filings and double-counted donations had inflated the campaign's reported cash totals.

Internal reviews revealed that the discrepancies became apparent when a media invoice went unpaid and a planned $1 million television ad buy failed to materialize. While the reports suggested higher totals, the campaign actually holds just over $200,000. Rodriguez stated that the campaign is hiring accountants and coordinating with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission to file amended reports before the July 15 deadline for activity between January and June.

Democratic primary opponents criticized the incident. Candidate Joel Brennan described the situation as a failure of leadership and responsibility, while candidate Kelda Roys characterized the mismanagement as part of a recurring pattern of errors. Rodriguez defended her decision to address the mistakes publicly, framing her transparency as a mark of leadership ahead of the August 11 Democratic primary and the November general election against Representative Tom Tiffany.