(The Center Square) – Jim Walsh, chair of the Washington State Republican Party, says officials with the Washington State Fair are “asking for a world of hurt” if they don’t reverse course in a flap with the Pierce County Republican Party.

In the meantime, Pierce County Republican Party Chair Dave McMullan told The Center Square he will meet with fair executives on Thursday to try to reach a resolution. The fair is set to open in a little over two weeks.

As reported by The Center Square, the dispute involves what McMullan says are new restrictions put on the Pierce County Republican Party, including a prohibition on gathering signatures and selling GOP merchandise at the organization’s booth inside the fair’s ShowPlex pavilion.

“Long-standing rules do not allow signature gathering or

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