TOPEKA – A former treasurer for Sen. Dennis Pyle of Hiawatha has filed a complaint against one of the incumbent Republican senator’s main rivals, alleging campaign finance irregularities.
Sabetha Rep. Randy Garber, who was treasurer of Pyle’s controversial independent campaign for governor in 2022, said Wednesday that he sent a four-page complaint to the Kansas Government Ethics Commission against Rep. John Eplee, a Republican from Atchison. Eplee will be on the August primary ballot with Pyle and Republican candidate Craig Bowser of Holton in the 1st District Senate race.
Garber’s lawsuit challenged a decision by Eplee in August 2023 to tap into his House campaign account to reimburse himself $40,000 in mileage expenses related to House service since 2017. Eplee filed reports with the state ethics commission that show that he later deposited a personal check for $40,000 into his Kansas Senate account.
“I believe his use of the same name ‘Kansans for Eplee’ has resulted in campaign contributions intended for his House campaign being deposited into his Senate campaign account,” Garber said.
Eplee, who declared his candidacy for the Kansas Senate in June 2023, said there was nothing inappropriate about reimbursing himself for legitimate expenses as a state representative and then making the decision to apply those funds to his Senate campaign.
He said he kept detailed records of personal expenses related to driving to and from his political duties in his House district.
“I kept a record. “I have a lot of documentation to back that up,” Eplee said. “I have always provided and will always provide accurate and credible information to Kansas Governmental Ethics. I will be happy to discuss any matter with them.”
Under Kansas law, contributions to a House or Senate candidate cannot be transferred directly to that individual’s campaign account for a different seat in the Legislature. Attempts by members of the Legislature to repeal that ban failed in 2015.
Garber’s complaint also questioned Eplee’s purchase of campaign brochures for his Senate campaign and the validity of a $1,000 in-kind contribution to a fundraising reception tied to his Senate race.
In response, Eplee said there was nothing mysterious about those transactions. He said examination of the record would result in dismissal of the objections.
The latest campaign finance reports filed by the three Republican Senate candidates showed Bowser had $100,200 in cash on hand in January. Bowser’s total included a $65,000 loan he made for his campaign. In January, Eplee had $72,300 in cash after writing checks for $50,000 to his campaign account. Pyle, the incumbent, had $70,700 in cash in his Senate account at the beginning of the year.
Eplee said the key issue in the District 1 campaign would be the Legislature’s delay in delivering property, sales and income tax relief to Kansas residents. He said Pyle voted against overriding the governor’s veto of a major tax reform bill during the 2023 session. The override attempt was one vote short in the Senate.
At the start of the 2024 legislative session, Pyle also joined two Republican senators who backed a tax reform bill proposed by the Democratic governor. Kelly vetoed three tax bills passed by the Republican-led 2024 Legislature. He has called the House and Senate into a special session scheduled for June 18 to resolve the fiscal policy impasse.
“By far the biggest issue is tax relief for Kansas taxpayers,” Eplee said. “Reps. Garber has long been used by Senator Pyle as a political pawn to do his dirty work, such as when he served as treasurer of his gubernatorial campaign, attacking Republicans and helping elect Laura Kelly. This is not It’s more than a political game by Dennis Pyle and maybe if he focused more on delivering for Northeast Kansas we would have tax reform right now.”
Pyle, elected in 2004 to represent northeast Kansas in the Senate, said when he ran for re-election that he was the only Republican in the race with a conservative record of fighting for limited government and fiscal conservatism.
“My experience and proven track record stand in stark contrast to the backgrounds of other candidates,” Pyle said.
Bowser, who served 24 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, launched his campaign for the 1st District seat in December 2022, while Pyle was still registered as an independent to run for governor against Kelly and the Attorney General’s nominee. the Republican Party, Derek Schmidt. Kelly won a close race amid claims that Pyle helped lure conservative votes from Schmidt.
“I am running for state Senate to return conservative leadership to the First Senate District,” Bowser said at the time.
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