AFP Conference kicks off with enthusiasm, despite the weather outside being a bit frightful. 

The Americans for Prosperity Defending the Dream conference is underway with loads of enthusiasm, even if everyone’s phones lit up and howled last evening with a tornado warning, spurred on from the edges of the tropical storm. At the event this weekend, 2000 folks from across the nation – considered AFP’s top activists – are in attendance this weekend, and these people have congregated in Orlando for activist training and fellowship.

There’s loads of buzz and activity you notice walking in the door, were I quickly ran into South Dakota AFP Executive Director Ben Lee, who has been doing a yeoman’s job in herding cats, and was kind enough to help me wrangle my media credentials…. Just in time to walk into a meeting with some of the national leadership team from AFP. 

Tim Phillips, the President of Americans for Prosperity met with members of the media this morning, and went through AFP’s focus this election, which nationally is primarily regarding US Senate races, with a few select House contests. They are also keying in on a few select issues, primarily attacks on free speech, which includes South Dakota’s Initiated Measure 22.

Initiated Measure 22, if you recall, is the measure which most of know as the “welfare for politicians law” which takes money that could be used for schools & highways and puts it into political campaigns. But another onerous part of it is that it rewrites disclosure regulations, as noted by the Attorney General: 

This measure extensively revises State campaign finance laws. It requires additional disclosures and increased reporting. It lowers contribution amounts to political action committees; political parties; and candidates for statewide, legislative, or county office. It also imposes limits on contributions from candidate campaign committees, political action committees, and political parties.

Read that here.

As you’ve ready seen by AFP’s participation in the Defeat 22 coalition with an ever growing list of partners including…

• Souh Dakota Retailers
• South Dakota Farm Bureau
• Family Heritage Alliance Action
• Concerned Women for America of South Dakota
• South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• South Dakoa Asociation of Cooperatives
• Western Dakota Families
• Associated General Contractors of South Dakota
• Minnehaha County GOP
• South Dakota Licensed Independent Contractors of America
• Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce
• South Dakota Grain & Feed Association
• South Dakota Agri-Business Association

…they’re on the right side of history in contesting the liberal re-write of election laws which limit constitutionally protected free speech, and mark the entrance of taxpayer dollars into financing political campaigns.

And that’s just the first hour. Stay tuned!