In the wake of Sara Rodriguez’s calamitous campaign implosion, the other Democrats still running for governor embarked on a frenzied competition to steal her lane. They’re flapping around like crazed vultures.
Day 1: Release angry press releases sounding aghast about Sara’s problems. Disqualifying! Gross Mismanagement! Lies, I Tell You! Quit already!
Day 2: Go on the podcast-broadcast circuit and re-calibrate to focus more on Republican Tom Tiffany. Sara is yesterday’s news. On the left, that circuit consists of moving from the show of insufferable anti-Trumper Steve Scaffidi (who now blocks his tweets so people can’t trash him for being an insufferable anti-Trumper) to studious liberal blogger Dan Shafer‘s podcast to Milwaukee TV. Sometimes, abortion doctor Kristin Lyerly’s obnoxious podcast or John Mercure’s show get tossed in.
The version of this circuit on the right consists of moving from WISN-1130 to WISN-1130.
Within hours, everyone started giddily jumping up and down on the left about Sara’s likely campaign demise, acting like excited preteens at a Taylor Swift concert after a six-pack of Red Bull. Except Francesca Hong, who sat quietly back like a Cheshire Cat – or front runner who knows something we don’t. She waited almost a full day to release a vague statement and teased something big (which probably means she’s raised a lot of dough from anti-American podcasters.)
Tiffany calmly turned his fire on Hong, reminding people that she wants to abolish everything from the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department to Tammy Baldwin’s job. Don’t forget capitalism, Tom! She admitted being an “anti-capitalist” to Meal Magazine in 2025, so apparently she wants to abolish that too. She also discussed her marriage, trip to Japan, and failed Ramen noodle restaurant. It was quite a read. She also revealed that “Mom’s a music educator. Dad’s a sociologist.” Not exactly working class.
Sara’s campaign reports, ad buys and press releases are total FICTION, so now everyone is elbowing each other for position.
Kelda Roys Goes Nuts
As usual, shrill Kelda Roys was the most annoying, “recombobulating” with Shafer. That’s his tagline. He says it like 59 times a day. I read his written version of the interview because I find Kelda too annoying to watch for more than 15 seconds. I secretly like Shafer. He’s a worthy foe because he approaches things intellectually.
“You interviewed a candidate who has no shot at winning the primary. Congrats,” a person responded on Dan’s thread.
Kelda promised to “eviscerate” Tiffany. Really Kelda? She also claimed Republicans see her as the biggest threat. This simply made me laugh. Most Republicans think Kelda Roys is Sarah Godlewski or Robyn Vining.
Most people on the right were worried about Sara Rodriguez, actually, and now they’re all fretting about Hong (what if she somehow finds a way to win?) I haven’t heard a single conservative fretting about Kelda Roys being at 2% in the polls. That’s because everyone thinks Hong or Barnes will win the primary.
Then Kelda released a strange ad that accuses Republicans of trying to “k*ll us,” and shows her almost getting run over by a white van. I’m not sure that is a good metaphor for any campaign, Kelda, but you do you.
Together, we can deliver transformative change. We can drive down healthcare costs and improve care.
As governor, we’ll open up the state health plan and work with the legislature to make sure everyone can afford the care they need. pic.twitter.com/M4A8Xcd7Rl
— Kelda Roys (@keldahelenroys) July 14, 2026
State dad Tiffany was busy posting photos of John Deere tractors. Does that really play in Elm Grove or Glendale? Even some conservatives I know are worried the Old McDonald routine is close to getting too hokey. I like the fact it gives him a state identity while Democrats desperately try to make him seem federal. But there is a line.
Tiffany reminded folks that Wisconsin Democrats gave bracelets to little kids that said, “Is he d**d yet?” And a Wisconsin “Democrat campaign volunteer said, ‘K*L* YOUR LOCAL REPUBLICAN.” The only hysterical part of that disturbing post was the fact that Tiffany’s screenshot of Kelda’s social media ad showed it only received 19 views and 1 like in four hours. And one of those views was Tom Tiffany.
Who Would You Want to Have a Beer With?
They say people elect the politicians you’d want to have a beer with. Tiffany is the guy you’d have an old-fashioned with at a supper club in Tomahawk, and Kelda Roys would buy you a cheap Chardonnay on the patio of Cafe Hollander. Tiffany is a fundamentally decent man who would cut taxes and not abolish prisons or the U.S. Senate, but he’s a little awkward in real life. Joel Brennan is a gabby guy who could at least carry a conversation, and he probably has some good stories about Tom Barrett and FoxConn negotiations. He’d play bartender.
Most people would want to have a beer with Hong or Barnes because they seem fun and would probably end up crashing on your basement couch eating hot Cheetos. Sorry, Kelda, foiled again. No one wants to have a beer with you or watch videos of you almost getting struck by a van. Come to think of it, that is pretty insensitive due to the horrific attack in Waukesha.
The strangest development in this whole primary is how WEAC no longer matters (they endorsed Kelda.) Thank Scott Walker for that.
Here’s Kelda’s essential problem. She’s running a schizoid campaign. She’s adopting extreme rhetoric and nutty policies that almost put her to the left of Hong, while simultaneously targeting the moderate suburban-Chardonnay-mom-in-a-suit-from Kohls lane that Sara was occupying. You can’t do both. Pick one, Kelda. Either cosplay the revolutionary OR the boxed wine mom. You can’t do both. Even more confusing, I know for a fact that she was hoping to pick off Mandela voters, but that was before Sara’s campaign caught fire like the Hindenburg. It’s all inauthentic. And confused. If Kelda shows up in a video wearing a red handkerchief around her head next, I’m going to lose it.
Joel Brennan went on a podcast too and stressed that he dumped half a million into his campaign (that GMC salary is something else.) But to be honest, poor Joel still can’t get anyone to talk about him, which, again, I don’t get. The guy just can’t get a buzz. He’s like a campfire that won’t light. Except 620 host Julia Fello, who really tried to hype it on social media, saying Brennan’s comments made her jaw drop. But the clip just showed Brennan babbling about blowing 500K and still lacking name recognition statewide.
Listen to what made my jaw drop 😲 during @joeltbrennan interview on #Wisconsin’s Afternoon Newshttps://t.co/8bhMbtey4z https://t.co/QFHSdHa9jL
— Julia Fello (@JuliaFello) July 15, 2026
I don’t get it because he’s by far and away the Democrats’ best general election candidate. If I was Tiffany, he’s the last one on the list that I would want to run against.
What’s next? Maybe this will play out like Survivor’s Island, and Brennan and Barnes will form an alliance to get rid of Hong. We all know there isn’t much love lost between Barnes and Hong.
For his part, Mandela Barnes ran to CBS-58 and gave a mealymouthed, tepid answer when asked about Rodriguez that didn’t match his campaign’s own previously fiery words from the night before. Doesn’t Mandela read his own press releases? They’re not books. Oh well. At least he doesn’t make up fictional ad buys.
As an aside, I cut to the chase and asked Barnes’ campaign whether he has a job, car and driver’s license (I received a tip that he bikes to events.) I’m still waiting for an answer. Those shouldn’t be tough questions to answer…. Right?
It’s a political game of Chutes and Ladders. Sara fell down a chute – back to square one! She vanished Tuesday, presumably hunkered down with a bunch of compliance experts she can’t afford trying to desperately make sense of her books before the July 15 campaign finance report deadline. By the way: Where is Kara Spencer?
The campaign filings will be the big news of the day.
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