(C) South Dakota Searchlight
This story was originally published by South Dakota Searchlight and is unaltered.
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Rep. Johnson sitting on nearly $6 million in campaign cash as he seeks reelection • South Dakota Searchlight [1]
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Date: 2024-10-28
South Dakota Republican Congressman Dusty Johnson has almost $6 million in campaign cash as he runs for a fourth term in the U.S. House, a figure that dwarfs his Democratic opponent and could contribute to a potential campaign for governor two years from now.
Johnson has a federal campaign committee, Friends of Dusty Johnson, and two associated federal political action committees: Dusty Johnson Victory Committee and Dakota Leadership PAC. He also has an associated state-level committee called Dusty PAC.
Friends of Dusty Johnson is the committee with the most swollen bank account. According to its latest filing with the U.S. Federal Election Commission, the committee has collected $3.5 million in contributions this campaign cycle, and has $5.1 million cash on hand.
The candidates, the ballot measures, and the tools you need to cast your vote. SD Votes: 2024
With so much money in his campaign account, Johnson was not only able to fund his current campaign but also transferred $40,050 to the National Republican Congressional Committee in June.
Dusty Johnson Victory Committee has pulled in $998,500 during the current cycle and transferred most of it to Johnson’s other committees, ending with about $5,000 cash on hand, according to its most recent filing.
Johnson has transferred $223,117 from the federal victory committee to the state-level Dusty PAC, according to an Oct. 16 filing with the South Dakota Secretary of State’s office.
Dusty PAC gave $2,500 to the state Republican Party after the primary, according to that report, as well as $250 to Citizens for Hoffman. That’s a campaign committee for state Sen. Brent Hoffman, R-Hartford, who did not seek reelection. Hoffman told South Dakota Searchlight he hadn’t decided his future at the time he got the check from Johnson – Johnson’s state PAC donated to a host of GOP candidates prior to the primary – and didn’t cash it until this summer.
Hoffman said he gave the money to the campaign of Taffy Howard, who challenged Rep. Johnson in the 2022 U.S. House primary and is now in a race for a District 34 state Senate seat with Democrat Kehala Two Bulls.
Rep. Johnson’s Victory Committee also transferred $321,900 to Friends of Dusty Johnson for use in the current U.S. House campaign.
It’s unclear how many state-level candidates may have pulled in donations from Dusty PAC after its Oct. 16 report, however. Sen. Helene Duhamel, R-Rapid City, filed her pre-general election finance report on Monday – the official deadline – and it lists a $250 contribution from Dusty PAC. Sioux Falls Republican Sen. Arch Beal also reported a $250 contribution from Dusty PAC after Oct. 16, and Dusty PAC contributed to Sioux Falls Republican Sen. Larry Zikmund’s campaign, according to Zikmund’s report.
Johnson’s federal Dakota Leadership PAC has collected $302,724 this election cycle and spent a little more than half, $156,583, mostly to support other candidates for U.S. Congress.
The congressman’s Victory Committee and Dakota Leadership PAC each donated $5,000 to Donald J. Trump for President 2024 Inc.
Should Johnson choose to run for governor in 2026 when Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is term-limited, he’d be able to transfer federal campaign money for use in that race. Noem did that in 2018 during her first race for governor. Then a congresswoman, Noem transferred $1.6 million from her congressional campaign committee to her gubernatorial campaign.
Rep. Johnson’s current opponent has less funding to work with in her bid to claim the U.S. House seat for Democrats.
Sheryl Johnson has pulled in $170,136 to her campaign committee, Sheryl Johnson for Congress. She’s spent most of that, leaving $16,263 on hand at the end of September.
The national Democratic Party did not contribute to Sheryl Johnson’s campaign.
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