Rex Failed To File Initial Disclosure

For embattled S.C Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, the hits just keep on coming.

Already lagging well behind every other major Democratic candidate in the fundraising department, FITS has learned that Rex failed to file an initial campaign disclosure form with the State Ethics Commission earlier this year – which he is required to do by law.

State campaign finance law requires candidates to file an initial disclosure within ten days of raising or spending $500 – a mark Rex cleared the day after announcing that he was filing paperwork to run for governor way back in August.

According to the Ethics Commission, however, this initial paperwork was never filed – with Rex instead waiting over two months to report his underwhelming gubernatorial fundraising totals.

“This is the only report we have for (Rex),” a spokeswoman at the Ethics Commission told FITS Monday, referring to Rex’s October gubernatorial disclosure form – which showed him badly trailing Democratic opponents Vincent Sheheen, Mullins McLeod and Dwight Drake with only $44,500 on hand.

But that’s not all the report showed.  According to his own October filing, Rex crossed the magic $500 mark on August 6, meaning that he should have filed an initial report with the Ethics Commission sometime during the middle of August.

Asked if Rex faced any sort of fine or punishment, the spokeswoman declined to comment.

“I’ll let Mr. Hayden know about it,” the spokeswoman said, indicating that she planned on referring the matter to the Commission’s executive director, Herbert L. Hayden, Jr.

After considerable speculation, Rex announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection as State Superintendent.  Days later, he announced his gubernatorial bid.

As the only Democrat elected to statewide office, he does enjoy substantial name ID among voters – although that is expected to cut against him in 2010 given the ongoing decline in South Carolina’s public education system as well as recent efforts to dumb down academic standards.

In spite of his decision not to run for reelection as Superintendent, Rex filed an October disclosure form for that office anyway, reporting only $7,000 raised with over $12,000 in expenses.  Interestingly enough, several of those expenses went to vendors who are also receiving money from his gubernatorial campaign.

Rex’s Superintendent fund now has only $3,100 on hand.

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