BY: TIM CARPENTER, Kansas Reflector
Complaint questions Eplee’s donation of $40,000 to Senate campaign
TOPEKA — A former treasurer for Sen. Dennis Pyle of Hiawatha filed a complaint against one of the incumbent Republican senator’s primary challengers alleging campaign finance irregularities.
Sabetha Rep. Randy Garber, who was treasurer of Pyle’s controversial independent campaign for governor in 2022, said Wednesday he forwarded a four-page complaint to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission against Rep. John Eplee, an Atchison Republican. Eplee will be on the August primary ballot with Pyle and GOP candidate Craig Bowser of Holton in the 1st District Senate race.
Garber’s complaint challenged a decision in August 2023 by Eplee to draw upon his House campaign account to reimburse himself for $40,000 in mileage expenses related to service in the House since 2017. Eplee filed reports with the state ethics commission showing he subsequently deposited a personal check for $40,000 in his Kansas Senate account.
“I believe that his use of the same name ‘Kansans for Eplee’ has resulted in his depositing of campaign contributions intended for his House campaign in his Senate campaign account,” Garber said.
Eplee, who declared his candidacy for the Kansas Senate in June 2023, said there was nothing improper about reimbursing himself for legitimate expenditures as a state representative and then making the decision to apply those funds to his Senate campaign.
He said he maintained detailed records of personal expenditures related to driving to and from political obligations in his House district.
“I kept a log. I have a lot of documentation to support that,” Eplee said. “I have always and will always provide accurate and credible information to Kansas Governmental Ethics. I am happy to discuss any matters 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 prohibition failed in 2015.
Garber’s complaint also questioned Eplee’s purchase of campaign brochures for his Senate campaign and validity of a $1,000 in-kind contribution for 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 lead to dismissal of the objections.
The latest campaign finance reports submitted by the three Senate Republican candidates showed Bowser had $100,200 cash on hand in January. Bowser’s total included a $65,000 loan he made to 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 start 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 Kansans. He said Pyle voted against overriding the governor’s veto of a major tax reform bill during the 2023 session. The override attempt fell one vote short in the Senate.
At outset of the 2024 legislative session, Pyle also joined two Republican senators who endorsed a tax overhaul bill proposed by the Democratic governor. Kelly vetoed three tax bills passed by the Republican-led 2024 Legislature. She has called the House and Senate to a special session scheduled for June 18 to resolve the tax policy standoff.
“By far the biggest issue is tax relief for Kansas taxpayers,” Eplee said. “Rep. Garber has long been used by Sen. Pyle as a political pawn to do his dirty work, like when he served as the treasurer for his gubernatorial campaign, attacking Republicans and helping elect Laura Kelly. This is nothing more than political gamesmanship on the part of Dennis Pyle and perhaps 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 filing for reelection 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 record stands in stark contrast to other candidates’ records,” 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 for purposes of running for governor against Kelly and GOP nominee Attorney General Derek Schmidt. Kelly won a close race amid claims Pyle helped draw conservative votes from Schmidt.
“I’m running for the state Senate to return conservative leadership to the 1st Senate District,” Bowser said at that time.