Letters to the Editor - Kull: PACs don’t mean promises

Tuesday, June 2 approaches and many of the primary election races will be in the books. That won’t necessarily be the end of this election season because chances are very high that we will have a runoff election for the Republican Governor’s race, so watch for more mailers along with commercials and ads in the paper.

Recently, there has been much said on social media sites about Political Action Committees and their influence on the funding of various campaigns. I would like to touch on those conversations and give some color commentary.

PAC’s are by their nature, and based on the rules set forth, transparent. By looking at their required reports, one can see who contributed money into a PAC as well as who the PAC has supported through contributions to their campaigns. Groups of people joining together to voice their support for one candidate over another. And they come in every shade of the political spectrum, from ultra-liberal to ultra-conservative and everything in between.

So, who do these Political Action Committees represent? The South Dakota Retailers PAC, as the name tells you, represents retailers from across South Dakota. Then there are the South Dakota Trial Lawyers, the South Dakota Realtors, the South Dakota Farm Bureau, and, well, you get the picture. These provide a united political voice for people of many different vocations whose opinions may not otherwise get notice if they’re just a lone donation to one or two candidates.

Probably the most disturbing or disingenuous accusation is that candidates that receive contributions from these PAC’s are ‘bought and paid for’ and will do the bidding of these entities. PAC’s make their donations to the candidates they believe line up with their political beliefs. I have never heard of any legislator that has been approached and told to vote a certain way as payback for a donation made. I don’t believe that happens with those legislators that I agree with on issues, and I don’t believe that happens with those legislators I don’t agree with. I believe I speak for all members of our legislature when I say that our integrity is worth much more than a campaign contribution.

With this opinion piece, I expect that social media may light up. Please understand, I choose not to enter into Facebook debates; however, I’m happy to respond to any emails.

David Kull

District 2 State Senate candidate