A senior Democratic political advisor has signed an affidavit alleging that David Crowley, now the Democratic nominee for governor, made his July endorsement of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez conditional on a promise of $250,000 and a paid position for his wife, The Lakeland Times reported Monday.
The Times said it reviewed the affidavit and verified its authenticity.
The account matches the one The Daily Wire published Friday, which rested on one unnamed operative and “corroborating materials” the outlet did not publish. The Heartland Post reported at the time that no other outlet had confirmed it. A signed, sworn statement now puts the claim on paper.
“The Crowley campaign made it clear that David [Crowley] would not endorse the lieutenant governor unless $250,000 was promised for his next run for county exec or for future political activities, and that his wife, Ericka Crowley, would have a paid position within a Rodriguez administration,” the advisor told the Times.
The Lakeland Times account extends beyond The Daily Wire’s, with the advisor alleging that Rodriguez was aware of and directed the discussions.
“The lieutenant governor directed staff to enter into negotiations/pursue an agreement with the Crowley campaign,” the advisor said.
According to the advisor, negotiations lasted about a month in June, as Francesca Hong gained momentum and Rodriguez ranked third in the polls. Party insiders wanted to “clear the field for a candidate other than Hong or Barnes,” the advisor said. With Crowley polling at about 6% in the Marquette poll, his withdrawal alone was insufficient. “They really needed the endorsement,” the advisor said.
Crowley quit the race July 8 and endorsed Rodriguez July 9. At that press conference, he said, “Nobody called me or anything like that to ask me to step out of the race,” and added, “I want to be very clear there was no establishment process.”
The Crowley campaign denied the allegations. “These claims are not true, and this never happened,” spokesperson Philip Shulman told the Times, calling the story a “desperate attempt by a flailing campaign.”
“The Crowley campaign made it clear that David [Crowley] would not endorse the lieutenant governor unless $250,000 was promised for his next run for county exec or for future political activities, and that his wife, Ericka Crowley, would have a paid position within a Rodriguez administration.”
The statement does not specify what Crowley and the Rodriguez campaign discussed in June. Three days earlier, the campaign gave The Daily Wire a different answer: “We have no idea what you are talking about.” Rodriguez did not respond to either outlet.
Heartland Post Editor-in-Chief Dan O’Donnell urged caution regarding the single-source Daily Wire report, while outlining the circumstantial evidence. The affidavit addresses part of this concern by providing a named document, reviewed and authenticated by a second newspaper.
Crowley’s endorsement lasted eight days. Rodriguez withdrew on July 17 after her campaign discovered duplicated contributions in its finance reports. Crowley re-entered the race the next day with Gov. Tony Evers’ endorsement and later defeated Hong in the August 11 primary.
State filings through September 23 show no transfer from Rodriguez’s campaign to Crowley’s, according to the Heartland Post. The advisor did not specify whether any money changed hands after Rodriguez’s campaign ended.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin said Friday that Crowley “has some (more) explaining to do.”
The questions for Rodriguez and Crowley are now specific: Which members of her staff negotiated with his campaign in June, and what did each side promise?
