Within the Republican Party, the State and County parties have generally observed the guiding principle of not getting involved in primary elections.
Except as we look at the campaign finance reports for the past 2 years filed today for county political organizations, in addition to the party badly needing a new chairman it appears that they may need to make an official addition to state party bylaws. Because there are some bad actors among the Republican county groups playing in primaries. At least, according to campaign finance reports these groups are filing with the South Dakota Secretary of State.
Noting a few examples running around out there, let’s start with the Bon Homme Republican Central Committee, as chaired by Stu Cvrk:
Looks like they donated to Donna Olson for Senate and Tanner Hento for House. Neither one survived the primary, yet sometime in the last two years they received a check from the county group. As funded in part by the candidates who did win (Sen. Schoenfish, Reps Peterson and Bahmuller) who were probably pressed to buy tickets and place ads in the county’s Lincoln Day Dinner program. And yet, were not supported as their primary opponents were.
I hope they recall that when Stu comes around with his hand out for next years’ dinner. According to the report – the report THEY filed -They literally gave more to the State Party chair for some reason or another than they donated to their own candidates after the primary. Lincoln Day Dinner food for thought.
Next, let’s look at the report for Davison County Republicans:
There are so darned many people who lost in the primary receiving a check that I can’t really go into detail. It’s like a rogues gallery of who couldn’t win across the state.
Sure, there were some of those who are running in the general election. Except, this county group raised a bit over $20,000, and blew the vast lions share in choosing winner and losers not in the general election as they should have, but they spent like a drunken sailor on shore leave in the primary outside of their district. Did they really need to send Dylan Jordan $250 for his primary race across the state? Or Toby Doeden? Who made the decision in Mitchell to send Toby $2500 of the money they raised in Republican events to run his race against the other candidates in the primary, such as Governor Rhoden?
I am told that the group of clowns who led this party are out the door, after they spent everything they and their predecessors had raised, leaving $850 in the account. You want to give the new guys an opportunity to do better, but there may be some people burned by shenanigans like this making them reluctant to support the party. So what are Republicans to do?
If people actually care about restoring confidence in the Republican Party, at a time that the Republican Central Committee is waking up to the fact that the State Party didn’t support candidates this year supporting candidates, while some of their county groups were playing in the primaries, they badly need some reform. They need to put new leadership in at the state level, and have measures in the bylaws on what county parties are and are not supposed to do, especially on what is allowed in supporting candidates.
Or not. And they can continue as they have.
we saw what was happening and didn’t go to any of the Lincoln Day Dinners
If that party wants to select its candidates, that is MORE THAN fine. But then be upfront about it, stop using taxpayer dollars on primary, and just host a party primary. Acting like democrats over here selecting the anointed ones.
Typical republican – every accusation is an admission. Just clean up your own house and stop trying to blame your problems on democrats.
Let’s just blame it on the riots in France.
The “party primary” is technically what we’re already doing but I think you mean you want the convention system which is not working. When it deteriorates into county committees made up of crazies you get this sort of thing, they’re supporting crazy candidates. Even if only 17% of eligible voters show up to vote in a primary election, that’s hundreds more people than show up for a county party meeting, and sanity has a chance at prevailing.
The Bon Homme County Republican Central Committee gave $750 to Donna Olson and $250 to Tanner Hento. Both lost their primaries. Republican voters had their say, and neither candidate earned the nomination. So why was a county party committee using its resources to favor particular Republicans over others in the first place? Who authorized those contributions, and what gave them the authority to decide which Republican candidates deserved the party’s financial backing?
You know what’s stranger? Donna Olsen and Tanner Hento both reported personal campaign loans of $3520.30, down to the penny. They also had a the same treasurer.
Another great example of why you should only give donations directly to candidates you support.
County parties are irrelevant and it’s no wonder people do not want to give to them anymore or attend their boring fundraisers. The so called county party leaders pick and choose winners who align with their personal beliefs. It’s time to do away with county parties, the state party, and open up the primaries. This has gone on long enough.
These SDGOP party units and state party need a good flushing down the toilet and some serious toilet bowl cleaning afterwards.
Has it been common in the past. For the county GOP parties to support candidates. That are a long ways away from a county? Like I see a lot of Candidates here that are a long ways away from Mitchell/Davison county.
I don’t remember seeing it before (other than statewide candidates… but that’s different)
No, it hasn’t been common at all. And now, bad actors are using the county groups as their personal fiefdoms, and not serving the organization regardless.
Yes I agree. Also stay focused on your own candidates counties!! Then statewide Nominees as well.
These fellows have mostly destroyed the county parties. What a load of buffoons. When the Davisonians are blowing cash from people in Mitchell on Ms. Rice and Mr. Ismay, there is some head knocking that needs to occur.
Too bad the people of Mitchell aren’t paying attention.
Many (not all) of the folks in leadership positions of county central committees are those who couldn’t get elected for zoo doo cleaner in a public election. They figured out that an easy way to have an influential position was to take over and take hostage the county groups because the general public pays almost no attention to them. This is now what we are left with.
It’s the same folks who scream “dark money” and “anti-establishment” yet they are the ones who have had a hand in improper campaign contributions for longer than most others at this point.
This is also more proof that convention voters are not an accurate representation of South Dakota republicans. When county groups fund primary campaigns and those campaigns lose, miserably in some cases, it’s a glaring example of how out of touch these county groups are. It’s past time to move all constitutional offices to a state wide primary.
When brought up at a Republican meeting in Davison County, the leaders of the organization tried defending themselves. It was totally disgraceful on their part to do what they did and not support even the local candidates. I have attended these meetings for four years changes coming in Davison County.
This is well written. I agree that county central committees are, I fear, a thing of the past.
Waiting on Stu Cvrk to publish a 6,000 word essay on substack then submit it to The Dakota Scout as an opinion piece.
SDFRW has a good set of bylaws that the GOP could use as a model. The organization is not allowed to be used to help one Republican over another.
In addition, the President and Campaigns Chair are not allowed as individuals to publicly support one Republican over another. That policy helps prevent event the perception of favoritism.
They also have a good code of conduct that set expectations for how all members will conduct themselves. For instance, if you support a split ticket or endorse someone from another party, you are no longer able to be a member of SDFRW.
The SDGOP needs something like that in place to deal with the county officers backing Kluocek over Haggar.
Which is hilarious. These folks are backing him because he has come out as anti-data center. Therefore, if elected, he automatically has a conflict of interest in deciding anything with data centers and will be booted on those decisions. The county officers backing him (looking at you McPherson), are a few IQ points short of figuring that out.
Yeah it’s an amazing place in time when supposed hard right conservative folks in a county tell you to shut up about your own personal rights of land ownership enjoyment and only do what they want done with your land.
Flipped right smack dab into liberalism I’d say.
As those of us who pay attention have known, the SDFRW is the real GOP apparatus in this state. The county and state parties are all ineffective, unfocused, and generally outright idiotic. Time to throw in the towel on the party apparatus if you haven’t already and stick to donating to leaders who are actually moving the ball forward, like Taylor Rehfeldt and Casey Crabtree. Their PAC money actually gets spent on candidates.
Has anyone taken a closer look at Tanner Hento’s October 16 amended campaign termination report? It lists a $3,520.30 personal loan from the candidate and reports the full amount as repaid. However, the accompanying explanation states that only $3,217.46 was repaid and the remaining $302.84 was forgiven.
The committee also reports a zero ending cash balance. If the loan was fully advanced and the listed transactions are complete, it’s unclear how the forgiven $302.84 was accounted for.
There may be a straightforward bookkeeping explanation, but shouldn’t the repayment, forgiveness, and ending balance reconcile on a final campaign-finance disclosure?