Wisconsin Democratic candidate says campaign cash lower than expected

Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor Sara Rodriguez said Monday that her campaign has hundreds of thousands of dollars less cash than previously reported. Rodriguez, the current lieutenant governor, announced late Sunday that she had fired her campaign manager after discovering contributions had been double-counted and expenses were undercounted.

Discovery and response Rodriguez made the statements at a news conference at her campaign headquarters. She said the problems came to light when a $1 million television ad buy announced last week did not begin running. She said the campaign immediately notified the Wisconsin Ethics Commission and is working to correct a January filing that covered last year's donations and expenditures.

Primary context Rodriguez is running in the Aug. 11 Democratic primary against Francesca Hong, Mandela Barnes and three others. The winner will face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November. Rodriguez said the campaign has raised about $1 million and currently holds about $200,000 in cash.

She declined to state the exact shortfall while reconciliation continues. Rodriguez said she was disclosing the issue publicly. "If I were trying to hide something I would be here today telling you about it," she said.