How taxpayers dollars become political ads

Seeing William Timmons' face a lot? It's with taxpayer dollars. Here's why.

March 14, 2024 | Original

GREENVILLE — Whether it’s through social media, in your mailbox or on Greenville billboards, the face of U.S. Rep. William Timmons has been popping up a lot lately.

As his reelection campaign against Republican primary challenger S.C. Rep. Adam Morgan heats up and attacks escalate, Timmons’ opponent has called out the use of a centuries-old practice that taps taxpayer funds for message promotion.

It’s called franking.

The frank has historically allowed congressmen to send out mailers with the postage covered through their office funds. In recent years, the rules have been relaxed to include other communications, such as social media posts, to be paid for with congressional funds.

A recent push by Timmons across social media has advertised his “holding Biden accountable” and invited voters to follow his work by subscribing to an e-newsletter.

On a billboard seen on Church Street, Timmons gives his phone number to call if people are having trouble with Veterans Affairs, Social Security or the IRS. In small letters toward the bottom, the ad reads, “Paid for by official funds authorized by the House of Representatives.”

Heather Smith, spokeswoman for Timmons’ office, said the practice is “pretty standard” among South Carolina’s other congress members and is an effort for Timmons to be as accessible as possible.

A review of public filings shows that all but one member of Congress in South Carolina uses franking and that Timmons ranks third among the seven representatives.

“We have a duty to keep our constituents informed of what we’re doing in Congress and how we’re working hard to get results for them,” Smith told The Post and Courier.

Timmons rebuked a post on X that criticized the billboard for using taxpayer money, explaining how it makes him more accessible to veterans.

“It’s almost like you don’t want your Congressman to inform veterans that their Congressman’s office can provide veterans assistance in getting them 100% of what they are owed for their service to their country,” Timmons said on X.

Following Trump’s much-desired endorsement of Timmons for the District 4 seat, which encompasses Greenville and Spartanburg counties, political attacks in the race have become more frequent. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Morgan said the three-term congressman’s use of the frank is a means to ”save his ailing campaign.”

“Taxpayer money to stick his face on a billboard. That’s wasteful,” Morgan told The Post and Courier. “We need to cut that.”

Smith slammed Morgan’s interpretation of the spending and said it has helped improve outcomes for residents of District 4.

“Adam Morgan doesn’t understand the process,” Smith said.

Speaking frankly

As the June 11 primary nears, Timmons is trying to improve on his primary win in 2022, when he narrowly avoided a runoff with 52 percent of the vote against challengers.

It will be his first challenged election since he was subject of a viral scandal in July 2022 with allegations of an affair with the wife of a prominent Greenville developer. That month, Timmons took to Upstate conservative radio shows to label the issue as a “distraction.”

Since taking office in 2019, Timmons has spent $831,000 on franking, the vast majority on mailers, according to House of Representatives spending reports.

In the closing months of 2021 that led up to the 2022 Republican primary, the representative spent $57,000 on franking from October to December.

Over the same time frame last year, as Morgan announced his candidacy in November, Timmons spent nearly double what he did back in 2021. And compared to his frank spending July to September of 2023, Timmons spent three times as much.

When asked by The Post and Courier, Smith rejected any connection between Timmons spending more on the frank and political campaigning, pointing toward strict rules against campaigning with federal funds.

The frankable and un-frankable

The frank can’t be used for campaigning, at least not directly.

“It’s a way to keep their name in the minds of voters,” said Danielle Vinson, a political and international affairs professor at Furman University. “In primaries, it’s about what name you recognize more than anything else, especially a House primary.”

Any House frank has to be approved by the chamber’s Communications Standards Commission prior to sending to make sure it lines up with the rules .

The rules say items should not be used for political business or include phrasing that alludes to a candidate’s reelection campaign, but they can include a representative’s stance on an issue.

“They’re not going to focus on things they disagree with constituents on or things they didn’t get done,” Vinson said. “It’s strictly used to present a favorable view of your member of Congress.”

While critics of the frank have dismissed it as a way for incumbents to campaign on the taxpayer’s dime, supporters have said it’s become the best option for congressmen to let voters know they exist in the age of social media.

“We need to return to more restricted uses or cut it entirely,” Morgan said. “We’re $34 trillion in debt and need to cut extraneous expenses.”

The frank is not uncommon in South Carolina

Every Republican representative from South Carolina’s delegation has used the frank, some more than others, spending reports show.

In the last House election year in 2022, Republicans across six South Carolina districts spent $908,000, nearly two-thirds of which was on mailers. Last year, South Carolina’s Republican representatives collectively spent $913,000.

Since 2022, South Carolina’s sole Democratic representative, James Clyburn in District 5, hasn’t spent any frank dollars.

No single representative accounted for the majority of frank spending in the last election year, but all except District 3’s Jeff Duncan spent at least $150,000.

Upstate Rep. Ralph Norman led the way, spending $254,012, and Rep. Joe Wilson of the Midlands followed with $214,555. After Timmons, Lowcountry Rep. Nancy Mace accounted for $156,247. Current Pee Dee region Rep. Russell Fry wasn’t yet in office, but his Republican predecessor, Tom Rice, spent $87,128. Duncan spent $16,000.

Timmons led the delegation in mass mailing spending in 2022, using $155,000 to send out 452,000 pieces of mail.

Representatives are prohibited from using frank dollars to send out communications 60 days before any primary or general election.

In 2022, each Republican representative did not report any spending in the last quarter of the year through December.