A Republican candidate for Mississippi governor has been accused of sexism after he banned a female political reporter from going on a campaign trip without a male chaperone for fear of being accused of an extramarital affair.

Earlier this week, Robert Foster’s campaign denied requests from Larrison Campbell, a reporter for Mississippi Today, to shadow him on the campaign trail ahead of next month’s primary election – unless she was accompanied by a male colleague.

His campaign told her they feared if somebody took pictures of him with Campbell, they could be used by rivals to smear him.

Campbell told the Guardian she was “shocked” when she was told Foster would not cooperate without a male colleague present because he had initially seemed interested when she approached him about reporting a story and they had an established working relationship.



“Really up until the last couple of minutes of our conversation I really assumed that we’d find a way to make it work and I was shocked that this was a deal breaker. That my being a woman was such a deal breaker,” she said.



“It made me mad … I’m showing up, I’m doing everything right, I’m trying to do my job, and you are sexualising me. How is that not sexist? The only thing that makes me in your mind unfit to do this job is the fact that I’m a woman. That is sexism. We’ve got to talk about that.”

In an article about the incident for Mississippi Today, Campbell said: “In two phone calls this week, Colton Robison, Foster’s campaign director, said a male colleague would need to accompany this reporter on an upcoming 15-hour campaign trip because they believed the optics of the candidate with a woman, even a working reporter, could be used in a smear campaign to insinuate an extramarital affair.”

Larrison Campbell (@thisislarrison) I was excited this week to get on the road with Rep. Foster as part of @MSTODAYnews #MSGov coverage. Agree with his conservative politics or not, he’s got a vision for MS. It’s why I love my job.



Turns out I don’t get the chance just bc I’m a womanhttps://t.co/CXq68Uq67j

Campbell and her editor agreed the request was “sexist” and an “unnecessary use” of newsroom resources and that she should do the story alone. But when she informed the campaign, they insisted she would not be allowed.

“He reiterated that the campaign couldn’t agree unless a male colleague was present – this despite my offering to wear a Mississippi Today press badge in plain view at all times. But Robison insisted that trackers are trying to get any footage that would make the candidate look bad,” she wrote.

Foster stood by his decision, saying he did so “out of respect” for his wife, Heather, with whom he is pictured multiple times on his campaign website.

“Before our decision to run, my wife and I made a commitment to follow the ‘Billy Graham Rule’, which is to avoid any situation that may evoke suspicion or compromise of our marriage,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “I am sorry Ms Campbell doesn’t share these views, but my decision was out of respect of my wife.”

The following day he added: “As I anticipated, the liberal left lost their minds over the fact I choose not to be alone with another woman. They can’t believe, that even in 2019, someone still values their relationship with their wife and upholds their Christian faith.”

In another tweet, he claimed criticism of him was also an attack on people in Mississippi who share his beliefs. “Exactly why we need a #msgov who will protect these values.”

His approach is reminiscent of the vice-president, Mike Pence, who reportedly does not dine alone with women other than his wife Karen.

Campbell said sharing her experiences has prompted mixed reactions – many of them supporting Foster’s reaction.

“Somebody posted on Facebook ‘he has to do this, this is the post-MeToo era … He was just doing what he needed to do to protect himself’,” she said.



While she had never before come across a situation like it, she said she has become accustomed to the sexism of working in the male-dominated arena of politics.

“Women, whether they’re working on campaigns or running for office or reporting on it, people see them as out of place and really as a female reporter, and I hate having to say ‘a female reporter’ because I think of myself as a reporter first, but when you’re a woman who is reporting you get treated differently.”

Foster later told the Guardian, reiterating portions of an earlier statement: “Before our decision to run, my wife and I made a commitment to follow the ‘Billy Graham Rule’, which is to avoid any situation that may evoke suspicion or compromise of our marriage. I am sorry Ms Campbell doesn’t share these same views, but my decision was out of respect of my wife, character, and our Christian faith.

“We don’t mind granting Ms Campbell an interview. We just want it to be in an appropriate and professional setting that wouldn’t provide opportunities for us to be alone.”