Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez filed her latest campaign finance report showing significantly lower resources than previously claimed as the scandal involving her former campaign manager continues to dog her bid for governor.
Rodriguez blamed her former campaign manager for double-counting donations and failing to properly record expenses in an earlier report. The issues came to light as unpaid invoices for campaign ads surfaced, forcing the campaign to confront hundreds of thousands of dollars less in funding than expected.
The latest filing, due at midnight, revealed roughly $34,000 cash on hand after raising $561,817.03 for this filing period. This figure stands well below what Rodriguez’s team had projected for her gubernatorial effort. The campaign notified the Wisconsin Ethics Commission about the issues stemming from the campaign manager, but it is yet to be seen how far back the financial reporting issues go and if previous reports will need to be amended.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who dropped out before the full extent of these financial woes became public, had reported around $315,000 in the same period according to campaign details. Crowley dropped out to endorse Rodriguez yet has more money on hand during the same period.
A review of obligations shows Rodriguez’s campaign carries substantial unpaid incurred expenses, mainly tied to consultants and strategists. These obligations total $152,275.91. Broken down they include $39,400.86 to Declaration Media of Raleigh, N.C., $2,285 to Amygdala Corporation, $56,000 to Normington Petts, $9,431.07 to the State of Wisconsin, and $45,158.98 to Kane Communications Group. Such debts add pressure on an already strained cash position
