Unpaid invoices reveal campaign cash shortfall, Wisconsin candidate fires manager

Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sara Rodriguez fired her campaign manager after discovering what she described as "serious mismanagement and inaccuracies in campaign finance filings" that left her campaign with hundreds of thousands of dollars less cash on hand than she had believed. The shortfall came to light when scheduled campaign ads failed to air last week due to unpaid invoices, according to multiple reports.

"serious mismanagement and inaccuracies in campaign finance filings"

nbc26.comSara Rodriguez fires campaign manager over ‘serious mismanagement,’ inaccurate campaign finance filings

Rodriguez, the current lieutenant governor, announced the firing late Sunday night. Her campaign said it plans to report the inaccuracies to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, as NOTUS reported. The Chicago Tribune added that the errors included double-counted contributions and undercounted expenses, leading to the significant discrepancy.

NOTUSWisconsin Governor Candidate Fires Campaign Manager Over Financial ‘Inaccuracies’

"campaign ads slated to run last week did not air because of unpaid invoices"

KTARWisconsin governor candidate says her campaign has far less money than she thought

The campaign's financial picture shifted dramatically after the errors were uncovered. Rodriguez said that her campaign has far less money than she thought, according to Newsday and The Independent. The unpaid invoices prevented ads from airing, exposing the accounting problems that led to the manager's dismissal.

2 sources

NewsdayWisconsin governor candidate says her campaign has far less money than she thoughtThe IndependentWisconsin governor candidate says her campaign has far less money than she thought

Despite the financial setback, Rodriguez vowed to remain in the race. The Chicago Tribune reported that she blamed the campaign manager for the mismanagement and expressed confidence in moving forward. The Urban Milwaukee outlet noted that the firing comes in the competitive Democratic primary for governor.

Urban MilwaukeeLt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez Fires Campaign Manager in Democratic Governor Race