You can say one thing about the SDGOP. You don’t have to have to raise money if you fail to accomplish anything whatsoever.
March 2026 SDGOP FEC Report by Pat Powers
The State Republican Party’s monthly report to the FEC for spending out of the state’s federal account notes that they raised a whopping $21 from donors. Not twenty-one thousand. Twenty-one bucks, period. To their credit, they only spent $15. Which I’m not so sure they should brag about that either, because it’s more indicative of hibernation than activity.
Not kidding, I spent way more than that on comic books last month. I did get one of my “grails” I’ve been wanting to return to my collection for over 40 years, and was pleased to get it. I know you as a reader spent more than $15 on adult beverages or in Grudznick’s case, more that $15 on breakfast at Tally’s. But the point is that the SDGOP shouldn’t be bragging about doing nothing. We can all agree that a political party’s job is to do something. In that, they apparently failed.
What else? It’s not like there is any donor to note. Otherwise, the SDGOP did transfer over $1424.31 from the state account, and collected $3.53 in interest.
You can read the federal report yourself. And the SDGOP can go back to sleep.
Indeed. The meat lover’s breakfast, without all the extra gravy and additional sides is probably closer to a couple of Jacksons. And by golly, one of the best buys in the City of Rapid. grudznick highly recommends it.
Mr. Eschenbaum is not much of an eater or leader of the caucuses, it seems.
This here blog post is most assuredly to be discussed at the breakfasting.
At least they made more than they spent. They’re up $6!
Maybe the SDGOP can do a Dave Ramsey debt snowball by stacking their debts from “microscopic” all the way up to “small.” Donations too.
Hey, this is absolutely perfect. As long as this crew doesn’t raise any money and doesn’t accomplish anything, we’re all better off. Nothing they will ever do will be a net gain. By their doing nothing, it’s not a net loss. A win – win situation for the rest of us!
Great point. They have become irrelevant and that’s ok. Only issue we still have is the party’s control over nominations. That must change.
I see candidates recruiting precinct committee people and delegates to the state convention omitting any information about the cost of attending. Are they planning to charge attendance fees? Won’t they have to?
How much money has already been paid to the vendors to secure the location and services and how much will be due after the event?
I doubt you can even have a 6 hour wedding reception with 200 guests, in Rapid City, in June, for $30,000. How are they going to pay for 3 days, with 500 delegates?
Since the votes are weighted and only one delegate is sufficient to carry all of a county’s votes, perhaps the solution is to have each county send one, and only one, delegate to the convention. Those 66 delegates can fit in a smaller room, bring their own lunchboxes, and choose the nominees for Constitutional offices and be out of there in 3 hours, tops.
Money already paid to the vendors will have to be considered sunk cost and forfeited. I don’t see any other way out of this mess.
While that is not a bad idea at all, there is no chance of it happening. If all the Minnehaha delegates get together mid June and the overall vote goes to Monae, there is zero chance the Baxter folks won’t show up at the convention. There is also the issue of making a motion and a second for nominations. Our system is outdated, ripe for abuse, and needs to be changed. All the constitutional positions should be a primary.
When this new crew took over, some of us were concerned they’d mess up the financial reporting. However, with numbers like these they might just pull it off!
One thing is certain; the SD Republican Party constitutional candidates are being manipulated by a small elite group of people so far away from the grass roots of politics fewer and fewer people are showing up to lead.
The conversation and vote needs to be made this year on scrapping the dinosauric convention way of the few outweighing the wisdom of the many as South Dakota currently has.
It made terrific sense allowing the gubernatorial candidates to pick their choice for Lt. Governor. Now is the time to allow everyone to vote on our constitutional candidates.
honest question here. Why do we only focus on the Federal Filings and fed side of things, but as it relates to the state (according to year end filings at SOS) the party seems to be comparable to previous years in terms of contributions, expenditures, etc.? Not sure a full picture is being painted.