WATCH: WA State Fair accused of excluding Pierce County Republican Party

(The Center Square) – For the first time in many years, the Pierce County Republican Party will not have a booth at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, Wash. – better known to locals as the Puyallup Fair.

Signature-gathering efforts for citizen initiatives and GOP merchandise are the purported reasons for Washington State Fair officials telling Pierce County Republican Party Chair Dave McMullan that he would have to relocate the party’s booth to a different area this year.

“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 the controversy started during the Washington State Spring Fair when someone complained about an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, flag displayed at the Pierce County Republican Party booth.

According to McMullan, the flag was taken down an hour later, and that was the end of the incident.

He told The Center Square the party has always held signature gatherings and sold merchandise during the fair, and it’s never been a problem.

“We’ve been doing this for like five or six years, and we've been doing initiatives and we've been selling merchandise, and we always get a 10-by-30 booth in the ShowPlex,” McMullan said. “The ShowPlex is the most expensive area because it's the center area, and we moved into that in 2022."

He explained that his organization met with fair officials after the spring fair to discuss concerns and thought they could work things out.

“They didn't want signature gathering, but their reasoning was just nonsense,” McMullan said. “They tried to say, ‘Well, you know, you can have information about the initiatives at your booth, but you can't have signatures,’ and I was like, ‘Well, that's ludicrous.’ They wanted to send the initiatives over to what they call their freedom of speech area, which is over by the Green Gate on the back.”

Fair officials defended their handling of the situation.

“The Washington State Fair applies the same exhibitor guidelines to all organizations. These long-standing rules – including no signature gathering or political merchandise sales in marketplace buildings – help maintain the guest experience,” Van Horne explained. “Groups wishing to gather signatures may apply for space in the designated Free Speech area. The Pierce County Republicans were not denied space; they were asked to agree to these rules, and discussions are ongoing.”

McMullan said that after he refused to sign a new agreement with fair organizers, he has heard nothing more from the fair officials despite numerous attempts to communicate with them.

“The Pierce County Republican Party will not be participating in the Washington State Fair this year due to newly imposed restrictions that prohibit us from offering merchandise for donations to support our work, as well as gathering signatures for citizen-led initiatives,” The Pierce County Republican Party said in a post on Facebook. “These activities have always been an important part of our outreach – allowing us to connect with voters, share our values, and support grassroots civic engagement.”

The Center Square asked McMullan if he believed the pushback from fair officials was a result of the successful initiative campaigns of 2024.

“Whenever there's been an initiative or any that Brian Heywood or [others] have sponsored, during our three or four weekends at the fair, we gather the most signatures of any other attempt around the state,” McMullen noted. “We don't run up to them and twist their arm and say, ‘Sign your signature or I'm going to break your arm.’ We talk, and we have thousands of people that come by our booth, and it’s always busy.”

McMullan said the $15,000 cost of renting the fair booth for three weeks has been offset by merchandise sales, which the party is now prohibited from displaying since he turned down the new agreement.

“They’ve seen the updated policy, the changes, last year when we changed them, and refuse to sign and adhere to the guidelines,” Van Horne emailed The Center Square on Tuesday. “They’ve been offered the Free Speech area.”

“They never, in any way, shape, or form, informed us of that,” McMullan replied. “In fact, we weren’t informed of it until we found out we weren’t automatically invited back to the fair.”

McMullan said attorneys may get involved.

The Center Square contacted Pierce County Democrats for comment on the matter.

“We are aware of the situation regarding the Pierce County GOP and support the Fair’s decision to enforce its long-standing guidelines,” Chair Marianna Hyke emailed The Center Square. “These rules are in place to ensure that the Fair remains a welcoming, family-friendly environment free from unauthorized electioneering or signature gathering.

The Washington State Fair runs from Aug. 29 through Sept. 21, and is closed on Tuesdays and Sept. 3.