The conventional wisdom is that South Dakota Republicans clobber South Dakota Democrats in fundraising. But a look at the Federal Election Commission finance reports suggests room for interpretation in the definition of clobber. Compare the money raised, money spent, and cash on hand for the SDGOP and SDDP each month in the current election cycle (months cited are months of activity, not the months the FEC report was filed):
| SD Republican Party Cash Advantage over SD Democratic Party | |||
| Month | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Cash on Hand |
| May.14 | $38,835 | $18,051 | $14,666 |
| Apr.14 | $5,806 | $11,021 | ($7,593) |
| Mar.14 | $12,942 | $6,718 | ($2,378) |
| Feb.14 | $7,020 | ($1,468) | ($8,604) |
| Jan.14 | $12,549 | $11,499 | ($17,093) |
| Dec.13 | $2,196 | $2,231 | ($18,142) |
| Nov.13 | ($13,190) | $4,573 | ($18,107) |
| Oct.13 | $9,230 | $10,182 | ($345) |
| Sep.13 | $16,959 | $6,650 | $607 |
| Aug.13 | $20,850 | $50,855 | ($9,703) |
| Jul.13 | ($1,189) | $12,441 | $20,303 |
| Jun.13 | $115,431 | $77,249 | $33,932 |
| May.13 | ($14,060) | ($21,546) | ($4,250) |
| Apr.13 | ($19,212) | ($11,935) | ($11,735) |
| Mar.13 | ($1,261) | $8,428 | ($4,458) |
| Feb.13 | $10,405 | $31,751 | $5,230 |
| Jan.13 | $48,660 | $15,202 | $26,575 |
| Total | $251,971 | $231,902 | |
Over the last seventeen months, the South Dakota Republican Party has raised $697K and spent $593K, while the South Dakota Democratic Party has raised $445K and spent $361K. The SDGOP thus has posted advantages of 57% and 64% in cash raised and cash spent, respectively. Those are significant advantages, but not the kind that make it impossible for smart campaigners to compete.
But notice that in five out of the last seventeen months, the state Dems have raised more money than the state GOP. Maybe those were months when the GOP shouted, "We're not racing!" but without other knowledge, according to the reports, South Dakota Democrats can raise more money than South Dakota Republicans.
Notice also that in eleven out of seventeen months, South Dakota Democrats more often have more cash on hand than South Dakota Republicans. That suggests that, at any given moment, if the two parties felt the need to engage in a sudden ad war, Democrats could match Republicans dollar for dollar in the short term. One might conclude from the cash-on-hand figures that our Democratic party leaders are more fiscally conservative than our Republican leaders. One might also conclude that the Republicans are a bit more willing to spend money to make money.
Assessing the health of the two major parties by campaign finance reports requires looking at the much more complicated picture of giving to candidates and other committees at all levels. Even looking just at the campaign finance reports of the two central parties, I'd be alarmed as party chair to see that my counterpart is outraising me by 57%. But I'd look at that 57% as a hill my party can climb. If we can outraise the GOP in five months, we can do it in six, in seven....
