After Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson held a rally to support former President Donald Trump last week, the Mississippi Democratic Party is calling on residents to boycott the Mississippi State Fair, which the Department of Agriculture runs each year.

“By boycotting the State Fair, we aim to send a clear message that the citizens of Mississippi will not support or tolerate the actions of leaders who stand with a convicted criminal,” the Democratic Party said in a Monday press release.

Gipson hosted the rally to garner support for the ex-president a week after a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 New York state criminal charges for falsifying business records using hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels as part of an illegal plan to help him win the 2016 election. Trump became the first former president in U.S. history to be convicted of felony crimes last month after a jury of 12 New York residents reached a unanimous verdict.

He also has three other felony indictments awaiting trial in a state case in Georgia and two federal cases in Florida and Washington, D.C., but no laws prevent Trump from running for the presidency again.

Gipson, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Gov. Tate Reeves and former Gov. Phil Bryant showed support for the convicted ex-president at the rally on June 6. Reeves and Bryant also denounced U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson for introducing legislation that would prevent the Secret Service from protecting imprisoned ex-presidents.

“It is deeply concerning and frankly alarming to see our state leaders, including Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Governor Tate Reeves, supporting a convicted felon,” Mississippi Democratic Party Chair Cheikh Taylor said in the press release. “Their actions reflect a blatant disregard for the rule of law and the principles of justice that our country was founded upon.”

Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson held a rally to garner support for former president Donald Trump on June 6, 2024. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad

Gipson called the boycott “ridiculous” and encouraged Mississippians to come to the state fair.

“The Mississippi Democrat Party’s statement and boycott of our State Fair is about as ridiculous as the charges brought against Donald Trump in New York City. I invite everyone to come enjoy the Mississippi State Fair October 3rd through 13th!” Gipson said in a statement to the Mississippi Free Press on Monday.

The presidential and congressional elections are on Nov. 5, 2024.

State Reporter Heather Harrison graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Communication in 2023. She worked at The Reflector student newspaper for three years, starting as a staff writer, then the news editor before becoming the editor-in-chief. She also worked for Starkville Daily News after college covering the Board of Aldermen meetings. Heather has won more than a dozen awards for her multi-media journalism work.

In her free time, Heather likes to walk her dog, Finley, read books, and listen to Taylor Swift. She lives in Pearl and is a native of Hazlehurst.