By: Jim Kallas
RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Pennington County Democratic Party has filed a supplemental campaign finance complaint with the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office, seeking records related to a reported $5,063 transaction involving Republican State Senate candidate Taffy Howard and political consulting firm South Eastern Strategy.
The original complaint, filed Oct. 28, questioned whether the transaction was improperly reported as a contribution from a business entity, which would exceed South Dakota’s $1,000 limit on corporate contributions to legislative candidates.
Howard previously told KOTA-TV that an amended campaign finance report had been filed to correct what she described as an oversight. Democratic Party officials say no documentation has been provided to support that explanation.
The supplemental filing asks state officials to obtain payment records, invoices, bank documentation, and any amended campaign finance reports to determine whether the transaction was actually a campaign expenditure for services or an illegal contribution.
The Democrats emphasize that the complaint is a request for an official review and does not allege that a campaign finance violation has been proven. The party says it is seeking transparency and documentation to verify how the transaction should be classified under state law.
The Secretary of State’s Office previously referred the original complaint to Attorney General Marty Jackley for review.
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