Restoring Transparency & Integrity in South Dakota Campaign Financing
Current campaign finance laws in South Dakota contain loopholes that could allow corporations and individuals to shatter campaign contribution limitations.
While reforms are needed to address these problems, I will not wait to act until the campaign finance laws catch up to what’s right. I will lead by example. I have not and will not take corporate contributions, nor will my campaign take funds from Political Action Committees that were established with the intent to circumvent individual contribution limits. And if elected as your governor, I will work with the legislature to close these loopholes.
If we are going to change the culture of South Dakota politics, we need to set a standard of genuine accountability from the very beginning.
KRISTI NOEM’S CAMPAIGN FINANCE AGENDA
- Ban corporate contributions. Big money in politics often leads to bigger government, conflicts of interest and potentially scandal. I will lead from the front on this issue. While corporate contributions became legal in South Dakota in 2017, I have not and will not accept them. If elected Governor, I will push to once again prohibit corporate campaign contributions.
- Limit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to a candidate committee. Individuals are under strict limitations as to the amount they can legally contribute to a political candidate in South Dakota. PAC contributions are currently unlimited. Moreover, there is potential for PACs to be created with the sole purpose of evading the individual contribution limits and attempting to obscure the source of campaign funds from public scrutiny. Like both individual contributions and PAC contributions to federal candidates are, PAC contributions to state candidates should be limited.
- Close the loophole that allows donors to shatter individual contribution limits. Under current law,an individual can contribute $4,000 to a candidate committee each calendar year. At the same time, they can write a $10,000 check to a PAC each calendar year. There are currently no safeguards in place to ensure individuals don’t contribute $4,000 directly and then another $10,000 through a PAC that was established with the intention of circumventing South Dakota’s contribution limits.