Second MS Gov. Candidate Follows 'Billy Graham Rule', Says It's Just 'Common Sense'
A second Republican candidate for governor in Mississippi says he follows what's known as the "Billy Graham Rule."
This comes just days after state Rep. Robert Foster said he wouldn't be alone with a woman not his wife, even in a professional context.
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 views, but my decision was out of respect of my wife. https://t.co/5tjH2x2g65
— Robert Foster (@RobertFoster4MS) July 10, 2019
Foster says he was following the "Billy Graham Rule" and had made a promise to his wife never to be alone with another woman.
Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller, Jr. told Mississippi Today the same thing.
"I just think it's common sense. I just think in this day and time, appearances are important and transparency's important, and 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," he said.
The "Billy Graham Rule," which is also touted by Vice President Mike Pence, tells men to avoid spending time alone with women they are not married to, to avoid any temptation or appearance of impropriety.
In the past week @RobertFoster4MS has received a lot of attention over his refusal to let a female reporter do a ride-along, attributing it to “the Billy Graham rule.”
— Larrison Campbell (@thisislarrison) July 15, 2019
But Foster’s not the only MS Gov candidate who follows that rule.@BillWallerMS just told me he does too pic.twitter.com/bKvGm22x3F
Waller says that in his 22 years on the state supreme court, he was never alone with any of his female colleagues.
You can read a full and complete history of the "Billy Graham Rule" here.
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