The Democratic race for governor is now wide open, and there's a feeding frenzy for former Crowley supporters
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Following the biggest shakeup to date in the crowded Democratic primary for governor, the remaining candidates are jockeying for key endorsements from political figures who backed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley before he dropped out of the race.
Crowley suspended his campaign last week and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. However, just four days after accepting Crowley's backing, Rodriguez revealed a major financial mishap.
She announced Sunday night she had fired her campaign manager, Kara Spencer, after it came to light the campaign had far less money than previously reported. The campaign's financial filing last January was riddled with duplicate donations, and Rodriguez said Monday at a news conference there were also expenditures that went undocumented.
It's a massive blow to Rodriguez, who is widely seen as one of the frontrunners, along with state Rep. Francesca Hong and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.
State Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan are staying in the race, and their campaigns got a boost this week when Rodriguez's announcement halted her momentum.
Crowley hasn't spoken publicly since Rodriguez's financial issues became public, but several of his supporters confirm the remaining candidates have been lobbying for their endorsement.
"I posted on Facebook asking people for advice," Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Shawn Rolland said. "And maybe 20 minutes later, I started getting calls from actual governor candidates."
Rolland, whose district includes much of Wauwatosa, said he eventually narrowed his decision to Roys or Hong and opted for Roys because he believed she had a better chance of helping candidates down the ballot in legislative races.
"I know I'm not that cool," he said. "So it made me wonder why they were calling, and then I remembered Wauwatosa loves voting."
Roys was in Milwaukee Wednesday to tout her health care plan, KeldaCare. The plan's signature feature is allowing individuals and businesses to buy into the state employees' health care system.
Roys said she believed the primary was now "completely wide open" and confirmed she's had conversations with people who backed other candidates who have since suspended their campaigns or suffered a major setback.
"I have heard from and have reached out to hundreds of folks around the state," Roys said. "And I'm proud to say that I have earned the support of many, many people who were initially supporting other candidates, including Missy [Hughes], David [Crowley] and Sara [Rodriguez.]"
In his attempt to gain momentum, Brennan called a news conference late Wednesday afternoon in Madison. He took swipes at the electability of Hong, who previously made multiple calls to defund police, and Rodriguez following her financial issues.
"If we're talking about defending candidates who say we're gonna defund the police," he said. "If we're gonna be defending people who can't provide accurate campaign finance reports and who lose hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, that will put us on the defensive."
Hong, meanwhile, touted new endorsements from Citizen Action of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance.
As for the Crowley backers, others remain undecided.
Milwaukee Ald. Lamont Westmoreland said in a text message Wednesday he'd been flooded with calls and messages from the remaining candidates but hasn't decided whether he'll endorse anyone beyond his initial support for Crowley.
"The recruiting has been strong. Apparently, my endorsement is a pretty highly rated free agent," Westmoreland said. "But I'm not committing because someone bought me a $9 oat milk cortado and showed me a nice PowerPoint presentation. I don't endorse often, and I don't endorse lightly."