The time of death on the Sara Rodriguez campaign is 9:47 a.m.
After a week in which Rodriguez was forced to fire her campaign manager, revealed she had almost no cash on hand to get her to next month's primary, and held a disastrous press conference, it's not surprising to anyone that Rodriguez just announced she was suspending her campaign for Wisconsin governor.
Today I'm suspending my campaign. Thank you to everyone who believed and showed up for this campaign. Let’s keep fighting – together – to protect the Wisconsin we love. pic.twitter.com/177LrrLD56
— Sara Rodriguez (@saraforwi) July 17, 2026
"I want to start by thanking my family and every single person who showed up for this campaign over the past week," Rodriguez said. "Your support has meant more than I can put into words. As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear that there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction. Not just for this campaign, but for the primary and for Wisconsin."
Remember, Rodriguez—the current Lt. Gov. of Wisconsin—wanted to have the top job, and vowed to craft her state budget in secret. It's no surprise she had no clue her campaign finances were a disaster.
Rodriguez continued, "This race is too important to let that happen. I am deeply hurt and betrayed by what happened. As I said on Monday, part of being a leader is taking swift action, doing the right thing, and being as honest as possible when there's a problem. I got into this race because I wanted what was best for Wisconsin, and that hasn't changed."
"And because I believe that, I cannot, in good conscience, allow these questions to become a cloud over an election that Democrats need to win. Wisconsin deserves better than that," she said. "This was never just about any one race or any one candidate; this is about protecting Wisconsin from a legislature hellbent on putting corporations over schools and insurance companies over patients. It's about showing the rest of the country that we can win here, govern here, and fight for the middle class and that Wisconsin will lead the way."
"To everyone that showed up, knocked doors, made calls, and believed in what we were building: please don't stop. Wisconsin has always been a place of resilience, where everyday citizens show up and accomplish extraordinary things. Better days are ahead because of people like you. Let's keep fighting. I'll be right there with you," Rodriguez concluded.
Democrats believed Rodriguez was their best shot at beating Republican Tom Tiffany, and so did Republicans, who put $2.2 million into the race to try to elect Rodriguez's Democratic Socialist opponent, Francesca Hong.
The Democratic primary is August 11.