(CNN) A second Republican candidate for Mississippi governor said he would not be alone with a woman who is not his wife in a professional or personal setting, after fellow candidate state Rep. Robert Foster's decision to deny a female reporter's request to accompany him on a campaign trip for the same reason.

Bill Waller Jr. (AP Photo/Emily Wagster Pettus)

Bill Waller Jr., the former chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, told Mississippi Today that he subscribes to what is known as the " Billy Graham rule," named after the prominent evangelist, in which a man avoids being alone with women other than his wife.

"I just think it's common sense. I just think in this day and time that appearances are important ... transparency's important. And I think that people need to have the comfort of what's going on in government between employees and people. And there's a lot of social issues out there about that," Waller told the news outlet on Monday.

He said his goal "is to not make it an issue so that everyone's comfortable with the surroundings and we can go about our business."

CNN has reached out to Waller's campaign.

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