$5 Million In Coronavirus Funds Were Spent On South Dakota Tourism Ads

The office of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said recent tourism ads promoting the state were paid for using $5 million from the coronavirus relief funds provided to the state by the CARES Act. The ads first debuted during the 2020 Republican National Convention and continued to air regularly on Fox News.

One 30-second ad features sweeping shots of Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument. Noem narrates over the ad, saying South Dakota is a state visitors can “safely explore” and its low taxes make it an ideal spot for to grow a business.

“Celebrate what makes America great. And experience the great faces and great places of South Dakota,” Noem says to close the ad.

Many state Democratic officials said they were “horrified” by the use of CARES Act funds for the ads.

“The lack of oversight and accountability should be troubling to everyone, regardless of party affiliation,” South Dakota Democratic Chairman Randy Seiler said in a press release. “Lawmakers have requested a special session for exactly this reason. $1.25 billion in taxpayer dollars should be used wisely to address the needs of South Dakotans.”

Despite the pristine image the ad presents, it comes as South Dakota has been struggling with a surge in coronavirus cases. The last week saw a nearly 50% jump in daily new cases as the state averaged 236 new confirmed cases a day.

As of Thursday, the state had 15,739 confirmed cases and 173 reported deaths from COVID-19.

The recent surge was linked to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which has since been tagged as one of the biggest nonschool superspreader events since Memorial Day. South Dakota and at least 11 other states all reported a surge in cases after the rally where most of the people diagnosed either attended or knew someone who attended. A recent study by Germany’s IZA Institute of Labor Economics said the rally may have produced more than 250,000 new cases as most recommended guidelines, such as masks and social distancing, were not widely followed by attendees.

Noem pushed back against the report almost immediately, referring to it as “fiction.”

“This report isn't science. It's fiction,” Noem said in a Twitter thread. “Under the guise of academic research, it's nothing short of an attack on those who exercised their personal freedom to attend Sturgis.”