What’s going on with ‘dark money’ in Beaufort Co. elections? What we know
.jpeg "Beaufort County residents have been receiving these strange political attack ads in the mail. Now, “dark money” accusations are flying.")
In the days leading up to the June 9 Republican Primary, some Beaufort County residents have been receiving strange political attack ads in the mail.
Accusations are flying about who’s behind the ads, and why.
The only clues on the mailers are the words “Paid for by Alliance for Lowcountry Balance” and a return address that points to a Staples in Charleston.
A search for the name of the organization with the Federal Election Commission reveals that is an “independent expenditure-only political committee,” or Super PAC, and that it was formed in April. The group, which has also funded a series of political advertisements on social media, has yet to disclose where it gets its money from or how much it’s spending.
According to the Post and Courier, who first reported on the story on Friday, the five candidates clearly supported by the ads have all distanced themselves from the group.
District 9 Candidate Beth Gillespie, who is supported by ads attacking incumbent Mark Lawson, told the Post and Courier that she didn’t know the PAC or the ad existed until it was forwarded to her by an associate.
She told the news organization via email that she does “not like negative ads or language used toward any opponent and would never approve of such an ad.”
Kevin Hennelly, chair of the Beaufort County Republican Party, is raising alarm about the PAC, which he believes is funnelling “dark money” into Beaufort County elections.
“I’ve been in this business 50 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Hennelly told The Island Packet.
In a statement published to the Beaufort County Republican Party’s social media page recently, Hennelly asked voters to question the group’s actions.
“We must ask: Who are the donors behind this dark money? Why is outside money trying to buy influence in our local races?” Hennelly wrote.
The PAC’s actions have people like Robert New, a landowner on St. Helena Island, worried that someone is trying to “buy out” the next election.
“This is a dangerous challenge to local democracy,” New told The Packet. “The thought that a secretive dark money super PAC can come in and influence our elections is scary beyond belief.”
What has the PAC been up to?
Alliance for Lowcountry Balance has funded a series of ads on social media and political mailers in support of five candidates for the Beaufort County Council. Some of the ads were plainly in support of one candidate, while others were “attack ads” against the opposing candidate.
Candidates supported included District 8 incumbent Paula Brown, District 11 incumbent Tom Reitz, District 4 candidate Thomas Grygowski, District 5 candidate Joshua Hower, and Gillespie, a District 9 candidate. Candidates attacked included Elizabeth Galloway (Reitz’s challenger), Kraig Gordon (Brown’s challenger), Mary Jeans Otto (Hower’s opponent) and Lawson (Gillespie’s opponent).
It’s unclear how much money the PAC has spent on these ads, and why. The five candidates supported by the PAC have all distanced themselves from the group, according to The Post and Courier, who first reported on this story Friday.
Hower, for example, told the P&C that he has not “solicited,” “coordinated with” or “asked for support from any outside political action committee.” The P&C wrote that the other four candidates “made similar statements.”
What do we know about the PAC?
Very little information is publicly available about the group behind the political ads.
The PAC’s website states that it is “dedicated to thoughtful civic engagement, responsible growth and a steady voice for the communities, traditions, and quality of life that make the Lowcountry unique.” The domain name was registered on April 22, 2026 through Domains By Proxy, a service that allows entities to hide their personal information from public view.
The organization has yet to file any campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission, or FEC. According to the FEC website, political action committees can choose to disclose the money they raise or spend either quarterly or monthly. For money raised and spent between April 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026, the filing deadline is July 15, long after the primary.
The organization filed a statement of organization with the FEC on April 22. Its address, 78 Folly Road Ste B9 #1263, matches the address for a Staples in Charleston. Requests for comment sent to the phone number and email address listed on the document were not returned in time for publication.
The only name on the form is the name of the treasurer, Dustin McIntyre, who serves as the treasurer for 74 federal political action committees around the country, according to the FEC database.
Two of those also include the word “Lowcountry” in the title. “Your Lowcountry Neighbors,” was established in March 2022 with an address that points to a Parcel Plus in Alexandria, VA.
Its most recent expense is $25,000 towards an Ohio-based consulting group named “Clark Fork Group, LLC,” for “public affairs consulting” on Dec 4, 2025. In previous years, the PAC spent $179,500 in support of Nancy Mace. A second PAC, established in February 2026, is named “Lowcountry First,” and has spent $0 as of March 31.
Other political action committees McIntyre is tied to include Richland Farmland Preservation PAC in Ohio, which he created in March according to a search with the Richland County Board of Elections. Amidst efforts to overturn a state law allowing counties to ban solar, the PAC has funded ads in support of keeping the ban.
How much does political advertising cost?
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has a searchable ad library that allows members of the public to see how much organizations are spending on ads on Facebook and Instagram. Based Meta data, the Alliance for Lowcountry Balance has spent between $15,000 and $19,990 on 10 ad campaigns, with a reach of between 1,165,000 and 1,399,990 impressions.
The cost of political mailers depends on the size, quantity, and type of postage. According to Mail Processing Associates, a Florida-based commercial printing and direct mail service company, 6x11 mailers usually cost between $0.43 and $0.54 per piece. It’s unclear how many mailers Alliance for Lowcountry Balance has sent out so far.
Hennelly believes the PAC has spent “big money” on political advertising so far, based on his general knowledge of campaign finance and the volume of advertisements he’s seen. He notes that full-color political mailers are often “too expensive” for most county council candidates, whose campaign budgets are typically between $5,000 and $10,000.
What is “dark money”?
“Dark money” refers to money spent on elections where the true source of the money is unknown, according to the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan legal organization that advocates for campaign finance reform.
The money is first donated through tax-exempt organizations that are not required to disclose their donors, namely 501(c)(4) social welfare groups and/or 501(c)(6) trade associations, according to the CLC.
These groups, often called “dark money groups,” are allowed to contribute unlimited amounts of money to Super PACs so long as the group’s “primary activities” are not election-related. Generally, an organization can spend less than 50% of its funds on electioneering without it being considered a “primary activity,” according to the CLC.
Super PACs are political action committees that are allowed raise and spend unlimited amounts of money influencing elections so long as their actions are not coordinated with any particular candidate or party.
Super PACs are required by law to routinely disclose where they get their money from and what they spend it on. However, when a “dark money group” contributes to a super PAC, the name of the organization is disclosed, but not the money’s “true sources,” according to the CLC.
The CLC argues that the system allows “wealthy special interests” to “easily hide their political spending” and “avoid accountability for trying to rig the system.”
Until Alliance for Lowcountry Balance files a campaign spending report with the FEC, it’ll remain unclear whether the group is being funded by “dark money groups” or if the donors will be plainly disclosed.
How have candidates responded?
Lawson, one of the candidates who has been attacked by the group’s ads, has issued a statement on social media condemning the ads as “dirty political attack ads.”
“Anyone who knows me and my record knows I will not stoop to that level,” Lawson wrote. “I have always vowed to run a clean campaign focused on real issues and real results.”
Gillespie, his opponent, has not made a public social media post, but told the Post and Courier that she was unaware of the ad or the PAC until an associate forwarded it to her.
Reitz, the incumbent candidate for District 11, issued a statement on social media denouncing the attack ads and saying that he had “no knowledge” of the PAC.
“Campaigns should always remain about records, results, and ideas for the future, not personal attacks,” Reitz wrote.
Grygowski, candidate for District 4, shared the P&C article with the statement, “It appears that this PAC (Political Action Campaign) is launching ads on my behalf without my consent and sewing discord all around Beaufort County - AGAIN. I have no affiliation with this group, nor do I have any idea who they are.”
Brown told The Packet she did not know about the Facebook ads until someone contacted her about it, or the mailer ads until she received one in the mail. She said she is “very concerned” about the ads.
“The bottom line is, I have no idea who this is,” Brown said.
Hower did not immediately respond to a request for comment and has not issued a statement on social media. Hower is quoted in the Post and Courier article as saying via email: “I have not solicited, I have not coordinated with, and I have not asked for support from any outside political action committee.”
Otto told The Packet: “I spent the past year fighting an increase in density and commercialization in District 5 and 1. ... I believe that they’re attacking me and spending thousands of dollars because they’re afraid I’m going to get ‘em.”
Gordon and Galloway have not issued statements about the PAC to social media, and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
