There’s more mayhem coming from former 32-year Democrat Jim Eschenbaum’s SDGOP in the run up to their February Central Committee Meeting in 2 weeks, with their meal hosted by former independent Justin McNeal.
How do you know you’ve alienated the leadership of the State Republican Party? When you have to go to Justin McNeal to host your buffet.
The party released their P&L Statement to show us the kind of job he has been doing in managing the party. You can judge for yourself:
2025 SDGOP_PandL by Pat Powers
Page 1 is simply the budget they had proposed at one of the last meetings. The P&L is more the actual. So, when on page 1 they promise to raise $15,000 at their pheasant fundraiser, page 2 shows whet they actually did. Their net was $1500.
Here’s page 2, where you can dig into things further:
The one that grabbed my attention was the “Governor’s Pheasant Hunt,” that didn’t actually have the Governor there, unlike prior years. In fact, it didn’t have anyone who will ever be Governor, considering Jon Hansen was the only candidate there. It could have been billed as the “4th place in the Governor’s Race Hunt.”
The P&L sheet notes that the party took in $11,664.96 for that event. But the P&L also notes that the expense for that event was $10,164.96. Wait.. so reconciling the two figures, their take on what used to be a far more significant event for Republicans 4 or 5 years ago.. was $1500? That’s after their income projections were $15,000? I think they misplaced a decimal. Most Lincoln Day Dinners bring in more than that. In a normal party organization, that’s one phone call. Not the total take from one of their major events for the year.
If their finances continue to trend as they have, in their financial outlook for 2026, the State Republican Party claims that they need $135,000 to put on the Republican State Convention. In their current state, they might be lucky to clear $13,500.
I thought these people were fiscally responsible
Why would we think former Democrats, pretending to be Republicans, would suddenly understand finance, budgets or economic development?
That comment might mean something if the Democrats in South Dakota weren’t 1) obliterating the SD GOP in terms of fundraising but 2) staffing themselves responsibly at the same time. Eschenbaum is neither a Democrat nor a Republican, just incompetent.
Well said.
Hear, hear
Such an embarrassment.
With Mulally doing their finances, it really could be a decimal problem. It’s not like this is the first financial “error”. Remember this classic?
https://dakotawarcollege.com/sdgop-already-having-to-fix-incorrect-april-fec-filing-report-missed-4-fold-increase-in-expenditures-of-36k/
Probably using Core math
Jim is our inside man. Everything is going according to plan.
SDGOP has gotten fatter and complacent .Wallowing wildebeests in their glory
More like Toonces, The Cat Who Could Drive A Car
The truly unbelievable aspect of this is how the same congressmen they berate will be asked to help fund their convention.
Cassie Wendt is now parliamentarian? The same gal who couldn’t read that a person could only hold one proxy, and then presented a scratched out proxy to try to get to vote last year?