Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez Fires Campaign Manager in Democratic Governor Race
Blames manager for 'serious mismanagement and inaccuracies' in campaign finance reports.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez stands at the back of the WisDems Convention before beginning her speech as candidate for governor Sunday, June 14, 2026, at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a Democratic candidate for governor, has fired her campaign manager less than a month before the Aug. 11 primary, citing “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in the campaign finance reports the manager prepared.
Rodriguez is one of five Democrats running to replace Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is not seeking a third term. The winner is all but certain to face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, in the general election.
Rodriguez’s campaign announced the firing of Kara Spencer in a statement Sunday night, just days before the deadline for the campaign to report campaign fundraising totals for the first half of the year.
“An initial review found that the manager filed inaccurate and incomplete campaign finance reports. The campaign will be in contact with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission first thing Monday morning to ensure the inaccuracies are corrected,” read the statement.
“The moment Sara learned of these inaccuracies, she acted swiftly and decisively removed her,” the statement continued.
Spencer’s work for Rodriguez dated back to her campaign for lieutenant governor in 2021.
Campaign finance reports covering Jan. 1 to June 30 are due Wednesday, and will likely be viewed as a barometer of candidates’ viability headed into the home stretch of the primary contest.
Last week, Rodriguez’s campaign announced that it would make a $1 million dollar ad buy, which would be the largest this campaign by any one candidate in the fractured Democratic field.
In a statement on X, Tiffany attacked Rodriguez.
“Voters deserve a full explanation of what the ‘inaccuracies’ were and how they happened,” Tiffany wrote.
Spencer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez fires campaign manager in Democratic primary for governor was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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