Conservative activist Scott Presler accused of violating Pennsylvania campaign finance laws

Conservative activist and social media influencer Scott Presler has made a name for himself by traveling around the country to stump hard for MAGA’s anti-voting agenda: the SAVE America Act, voter roll purges and GOP candidates in consequential local elections. 

But Presler’s recent efforts to influence voters in a high-stakes Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention election last year may have run afoul of state campaign finance laws, according to a complaint filed by the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen. 

Presler, who founded the political action committee Early Vote Action (EVA), allegedly deployed a whole coordinated operation to encourage voters to “vote no” on retaining three Democratic Supreme Court justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht — but never registered or disclosed any spending. 

Presler did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Justices of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court are chosen by voters in partisan elections to serve 10-year terms. The justices do not have term limits, but face retention elections when their terms end. 

At the time of last year’s retention election, Democrats held a 5-2 majority on the court. The race generated national attention because Republicans saw an opening to flip control of the state’s highest court if they could convince Pennsylvania voters to deny any of the three Democratic justices another term. 

Enter Presler. 

According to the complaint, the GOP activist and EVA “spent significant but unknown sums to influence voters to ‘Vote No’ on the retention of” the three Democratic justices. Pennsylvania law requires that any PAC or individual spending money to influence a retention election register and regularly file financial disclosures with the Pennsylvania Department of State. 

“Presler and EVA spent money on paid field staff, digital media, direct mail, and voter-contact texting,” the complaint states. “This paid electoral activity was coordinated with public calls to action in multimedia platforms, including print advertisements and social media as well as being promoted in national and local media appearances by Presler and Early Vote Action.”

But Public Citizen alleges that neither Presler nor EVA ever registered or disclosed spending. 

Whatever Presler and EVA spent, it was all in vain: The three justices won their retention elections.

Though Presler is primarily known for backing GOP candidates and causes, he recently became an elected official himself.

Earlier this year, Presler won his first election: a hyperlocal race for a spot on the Republican State Committee in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.