(The Center Square) – Jim Walsh, chair of the Washington State Republican Party, says officials with the Washington State Fair are “asking for a world of hurt” if they don’t reverse course in a flap with the Pierce County Republican Party.
In the meantime, Pierce County Republican Party Chair Dave McMullan told The Center Square he will meet with fair executives on Thursday to try to reach a resolution. The fair is set to open in a little over two weeks.
As reported by The Center Square, the dispute involves what McMullan says are new restrictions put on the Pierce County Republican Party, including a prohibition on gathering signatures and selling GOP merchandise at the organization’s booth inside the fair’s ShowPlex pavilion.
“Long-standing rules do not allow signature gathering or political merchandise sales in marketplace buildings to help maintain the guest experience,” according to an email from WSF Public Relations Manager Stacy Van Horne.
McMullan told The Center Square that county Republicans have gathered signatures and sold merchandise at their booth during the fair for the last several years, and it’s never been an issue. He said he had not been informed of any policy change until recently.
Fair organizers offered the party a different location near the fair’s Green Gate, where they could conduct signature gathering and sell merchandise, but McMullan said it is located outdoors and not a viable option for the party’s needs.
Walsh, who also serves as a state representative from Aberdeen, spoke with The Center Square on Wednesday about the controversy.
“The language in the several letters that the fair staff has sent out, not just to the Pierce County GOP but also to other organizations and groups that are generally of a more conservative nature, [is] extremely troubling,” he said. “And we believe they may be a violation of the public accommodations law, federal law, and anti-discrimination law.”
Walsh referred to a letter posted on Facebook that was sent to the Washington Alliance for Life, informing the organization it could not set up a booth at the fair this year.
The letter said the fair was “evolving to meet current guests’ interests within the alignment of the Fair’s mission and values.”
“It’s a completely spurious argument,” Walsh said. “In fact, it’s an admission of prohibited behavior under the Civil Rights Act. The propaganda narrative that the staff of the fair are putting forward doesn’t protect them at all; it further incriminates them. It’s very bizarre.”
Walsh noted there is also a state statute that gives protection against discrimination as well.
“You can call it viewpoint discrimination. You can call it ideological discrimination. Whatever you call it, it is generally illegal,” he said. “It’s my opinion that this correspondence and these actions taken by fair staff exposed the group to a significant litigation risk.”
Walsh said the state party is trying to stay out of the fight and let the county party lead the charge, but indicated the Washington State Republican Party stands ready to intervene if necessary.
“I don’t know what their insurance or their liability coverage structure is, but my goodness, they better be checking with their underwriters and find out what kind of coverage they’ve got because they are exposing themselves to significant litigation risk,” Walsh reiterated. “We are going to try to work out some sort of amicable solution to this unfortunate episode. If we’re not able to help work it out, we will be actively involved in other forms of resolution to this illegal discrimination. These guys are asking for a world of hurt.”
McMullan retained some optimism that the situation could be resolved amicably, adding he is looking forward to Thursday’s meeting with fair officials.
The Washington State Fair runs from Aug. 29 through Sept. 21. The fair is closed on Tuesdays and Sept. 3.
