The Mississippi Democratic Party could face fines and other penalties after failing to file periodic campaign-finance reports required under state law, the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office says.
Mississippi Assistant Secretary of State for Elections Kyle Kirkpatrick told the Mississippi Free Press that he informed the party earlier this month that they must begin filing campaign-finance reports, but that he has not heard back from party officials. Unless the Democratic Party takes action by Friday, the secretary of state’s office will turn the issue over to the Mississippi Ethics Commission, he said.
In emails last month, Mississippi Democratic Party State Executive Director Andre Wagner told the secretary of state officials, including Kirkpatrick, that the party did not have to file campaign-finance reports because they had not engaged in spending that would necessitate reporting.
“Dear Secretary of State’s Office, This is to inform you that the Mississippi Democratic Party has not spent any funds promoting, opposing, or contributing to candidates in the 2023 cycle as of May 23, 2023,” Wagner wrote on that date. “This is in accordance with state regulations which require Party entities and PACs to file periodic campaign finance reports if they have made any contribution and/or expenditure for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the action of voters for or against any candidate regularly elected in 2023. If and when the party decides to spend money on either of these activities, it will start to file periodic campaign finance reports as required by law.”
In this May 23, 2023, email, Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Director Andre Wagner said the party had “not spent any funds promoting, opposing, or contributing to candidates in the 2023 cycle as of May 23, 2023.”
But Kirkpatrick told the Mississippi Free Press that the Democratic Party had already begun engaging in such activities before that email. In a press release the Mississippi Free Press and other news organizations received from Wagner six days before that email, the party announced that it was launching “The Tate Files.” The press release described the project as “a brand new Twitter account that will
