Turns out Husband-Son Mike Pence is not the only man who is extremely afraid of being overcome by lust and temptation if he is in the mere presence of another woman without his Mother-Wife by his side (or more accurately, ten paces behind him). Joining Pence in living his life by this rule is one Robert Foster, a Republican (natch) state representative in Mississippi who is now running for governor. Recently, he turned down a request from Mississippi Today reporter Larrison Campbell who asked to shadow him to better assess his candidacy. Why? Because she’s a woman. Mother, no!
Here’s what Foster’s campaign director told her after she made the request for a ride-along:
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.
“The only reason you think that people will think I’m having a (improper) relationship with your candidate is because I am a woman,” this reporter said.
Robison said the campaign simply “can’t risk it.”
Robison, according to Campbell, acknowledged that the campaign’s demand that a colleague who was a man join her was a “weird request.” But even her explanation that she would wear a press badge (and, I imagine, some sort of demure frock that covered her from neck to toe as well as a bonnet and a look of weary resignation on her face at all times) didn’t change the mind of Foster’s campaign.