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<\/figure>\n\nIt has been some week for Wisconsin Democrats.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s go through it:<\/p>\n
On Friday, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez<\/b> ended her campaign to succeed Gov. Tony Evers<\/b> after acknowledging that the campaign had badly misstated its finances. Contributions had been double-counted, expenses had been underreported and the campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less than Rodriguez believed it did.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction,\u201d Rodriguez said on X<\/a>. She had fired her campaign manager days earlier.<\/p>\n Then came the comeback.<\/p>\n So, yeah, it\u2019s been a week.<\/p>\n The upheaval matters because the winner of this race will be running in one of the most closely watched gubernatorial contests in the nation. Rep. Tom Tiffany<\/b> (R-Wisconsin), the likely Republican nominee, is probably sitting in Washington and enjoying this madness. Republicans certainly are.<\/p>\n \u201cWatching Wisconsin Democrats is like watching a clown car crash into a parked semi-truck,\u201d said Kollin Crompton<\/b>, a spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association. \u201cFrom financial scandals to re-launching failed campaigns, these Democrats shouldn\u2019t be in charge of a lemonade stand let alone the state of Wisconsin.\u201d<\/p>\n The chaotic week sets up what is seen as a clash among Hong, Barnes and now Crowley.<\/p>\n Crowley\u2019s return scrambles a primary in which Hong and Barnes have been the most prominent contenders. It also confronts Crowley with a basic question: What will be different this time?<\/p>\n A Marquette Law School poll conducted in March put Crowley at just 3 percent, compared with 14 percent for Hong and 11 percent for Barnes. But nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters remained undecided, making the survey more a measure of how unsettled the race was than a reliable forecast of its outcome.<\/p>\n Asked Monday why voters should reconsider him, Crowley told The Washington Post that \u201ccircumstances change in life and one of the qualities of a good leader is being able to adapt and adjust when necessary.\u201d He pointed to Evers\u2019s endorsement, which he did not have during his first run.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to win the nomination, and defeat Tom Tiffany, by energizing Democrats in Milwaukee and Madison, while also competing in suburban and rural communities across the state,\u201d he said. \u201cI have deep roots and strong support in Milwaukee County, where Democratic turnout is crucial, and I have spent years building relationships across Wisconsin that allow us to be competitive statewide.\u201d<\/p>\n Barnes had praised Crowley when he left the race. His campaign was far less welcoming when Crowley returned.<\/p>\n \u201cDavid Crowley left this race for a reason,\u201d said Darby O\u2019Connor<\/b>, Barnes\u2019s campaign manager. \u201cThis Hail Mary serves no purpose other than playing spoiler and handing our state to Trump\u2019s handpicked candidate in Tom Tiffany.\u201d<\/p>\n Barnes has tried to use the week to reinforce his argument that he stands outside Wisconsin\u2019s Democratic establishment.<\/p>\n \u201cThis last week is one of the main reasons why people are so frustrated with politics,\u201d Barnes said over the weekend at a gubernatorial forum. \u201cThis week is why so many people are frustrated and want nothing to do with the Democratic establishment. … We deserve so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n Wisconsin\u2019s primary is on Aug. 11.<\/p>\n The cyclosporiasis outbreak<\/a> continues.<\/p>\n A few days ago, federal health officials announced that the multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis<\/a> that has sickened thousands has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states. But on Sunday, the Food and Drug Administration said that the test that linked the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico was a false positive<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our colleague Lena H. Sun<\/b>, who has been all over this story since it first broke, wrote that \u201cthe agency did not back away from its conclusion that the company remains linked to a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis through its traceback investigation,\u201d but added that there are \u201ccurrently no confirmed positive product samples for cyclospora.\u201d<\/p>\n There are numerous reasons to keep watching this story.<\/p>\n First, to be blunt but not too graphic, no one wants to deal with the symptoms of cyclosporiasis<\/a>. We will keep it there.<\/p> Read more Trump executive order hopes to patch vulnerabilities in defense supply chain<\/a><\/p>\n But second, monitoring this kind of foodborne illness is central to what the federal government does to protect people, and experts are raising real questions about whether cuts to health departments nationwide \u2014 including Trump-directed cuts to agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention \u2014 have made this search for the outbreak more difficult.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been a tough year for them as well as for us,\u201d Natasha Bagdasarian<\/b>, Michigan\u2019s chief medical executive, told the Guardian<\/a> about cuts to federal agencies. Michigan is currently the known epicenter of the outbreak. \u201cCommunication has been somewhat less than we have experienced in previous outbreaks. In previous outbreaks, we have received additional assistance from CDC, and we have not in this particular outbreak,\u201d Bagdasarian added.<\/p>\n Democrats are already noting these cuts in light of the outbreak, hoping to put pressure on Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cFamilies deserve to know that the food they\u2019re buying is safe to consume,\u201d said<\/a> Rep. Greg Stanton<\/b> (D-Arizona). \u201cBut instead, thousands of people are becoming sick while the administration undoes key public health systems that detect outbreaks and identify contaminated food.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Cory Booker <\/b>(D-New Jersey) added<\/a>: \u201cTrump\u2019s reckless cuts have gutted the CDC\u2019s ability to protect us.\u201d<\/p>\n The Current (Louisiana)<\/b>: Private equity is buying up utilities in Louisiana<\/a>, causing headaches for ratepayers and threatening further price hikes.<\/p>\n Bangor Daily News<\/b>: Troy Jackson<\/b>, former Maine state senator, dominated the delegate process this weekend<\/a> for the state\u2019s now vacant Democratic Senate nomination. He is now the likely nominee to replace Graham Platner<\/b>.<\/p>\n Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.<\/p>\n This newsletter has had a little more sports content than usual, and that is, admittedly, because of my bias. I absolutely love the World Cup and was lucky enough to attend \u2014 and write a piece<\/a> \u2014 from Sunday\u2019s final. Thank you to Alec for his great piece on the Supreme Court while I enjoyed the match.<\/p>\n We asked for your World Cup reflections yesterday, and reading them has been fun.<\/p>\n \u201cI loved having the World Cup in the US! It was great competition, interesting to learn about others\u2019 beloved soccer stars, and fun to root for well-deserved underdogs!\u201d wrote Mary Hamrick<\/b>. \u201cOverall, I loved, for my own family, and for our country, the feeling of rallying around something like the World Cup and the fun month of celebration and togetherness that we experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLoved loved loved it,\u201d said Harley Hansen<\/b>. \u201cWatched at least parts of every match.\u201d<\/p>\n And Kristen Smith <\/b>added, \u201cLoved, loved, loved the World Cup. I was already feeling melancholy about it ending 10 minutes after the closing ceremony. Soccer is a fabulous sport and the WC was a delightfully unifying event that highlighted the strength of diversity and teamwork and the joy of international bonhomie.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrea Lucas <\/b>took it another direction: \u201cBoring!\u201d she wrote in response to the World Cup.<\/p>\n And then we got this email: \u201cThe best thing about this World Cup is that it\u2019s finally, mercifully, over.\u201d<\/p>\n Okay then.<\/p>\n You can expect more political analysis and midterm coverage in the coming weeks. Thank you for enjoying this newsletter\u2019s love of the Mundial.<\/p>\n New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani <\/b>recently said there was an \u201cactive conversation<\/a>\u201d among his staff about whether to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu<\/b> when he arrives in September for the U.N. General Assembly. Some Democrats quickly condemned the comment, highlighting the divide in the party over Netanyahu and Israel. How should Democrats handle this divide within the party over Israel? Does it threaten to alienate voters? Or does it just highlight how the views on the nation have shifted in recent years? Let us and your fellow Early Brief readers know at earlytips@washpost.com<\/a>.<\/p> Read more Trump officials seek to weaken historic-preservation reviews of projects<\/a><\/p>\n