MADISON (WLUK/AP) — After revelations of alleged financial mismanagement by her campaign manager, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez is dropping out of the governor’s race.

“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. This race is too important to Wisconsin to let that happen,” Rodriguez said in a statement Friday.

The announcement came four days after Rodriguez fired her campaign manager when she discovered her campaign had hundreds of thousands dollars less cash than she thought. The discrepancy was discovered when campaign ads slated to run last week did not air because of unpaid invoices.

Rodriguez said contributions had been double counted and expenses were undercounted, leading to her campaign having far less money than she thought.

Rodriguez’s departure leaves four candidates in the Democratic primary: former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes; Joel Brennan, a former top aide to Gov. Tony Evers; State Rep. Francesca Hong; and State Sen. Kelda Roys.

The winner of the Aug. 11 primary will go on to face presumptive Republican nominee Tom Tiffany.

Evers is not running for re-election after serving two terms.

Some of Rodriguez’s primary opponents have released statements in reaction to the news.

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Brennan

I deeply respect Lieutenant Governor Rodriguez and the ideas and energy she brought to this race. This is no doubt disappointing for her and people who supported her campaign, and I am committed to joining her in the fight to protect the Wisconsin we love.

While a lot has changed in the Democratic primary, one thing has not: we need a governor who can win and who will fight for Wisconsin to get things done. Tom Tiffany will make the challenges Wisconsin families face even worse. He has shown he cares more about loyalty to Donald Trump than about the people who are hurting in our state. I’m the candidate who will get big things done to lower costs, expand healthcare, make childcare affordable, improve schools and so much more — and I can and will win in November.

Roys

I want to thank Lt. Gov. Rodriguez for her service to our state and for putting herself forward as a candidate for governor. Primaries make us stronger, and it takes courage and hard work to run for office. We are all on the same team and it’s time to unite the party so that we can defeat Tom Tiffany and deliver a Democratic trifecta.

I wish Sara and her family well and I’m looking forward to campaigning alongside her this fall as we work to turn Wisconsin blue.

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