GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – The Mississippi Democratic Party is calling for an investigation into a letter from a coast casino owner to employees supporting the Republican candidate in the Gulfport mayor’s race.
The letter surfaced on social media Friday afternoon. It was on Island View Casino letterhead and was believed to have been written by co-owner Rick Carter.
Carter endorses Republican candidate Hugh Keating multiple times in the letter, saying, “He is exactly the type of person we need as our next mayor.”
While the letter shows full support of Keating, the ending paragraph states, “Whoever you support, please vote!”
The Democratic party says this is a violation of the Mississippi Code 23-15-871, which states, “No employer, or employee having the authority to employ or discharge other employees, may make any statement public or private, or give out or circulate any report or statement, calculated to intimidate or coerce or otherwise influence any vote of an employee.”
Both campaigns offered statements in regard to the recent allegations.
Sonya Williams-Barnes’ campaign said:
“Our campaign is focused on tomorrow’s voter turnout and sharing our vision for Gulfport with residents. While we have no comment on the Island View complaint at this time, the matter is certainly concerning.”
Hugh Keating’s campaign responded by saying:
“We’re asking everyone who supports Hugh Keating to encourage their friends, family, and co-workers to vote for him tomorrow. There is nothing wrong with someone encouraging people to vote, but the democrats want to change the subject after they were caught in an illegal vote-buying scheme in Gulfport.”
We reached out to Island View to get a statement from Mr. Carter regarding the letters, but they have not responded.
The Attorney General’s office has confirmed to us that they received a formal complaint.
The election is Tuesday, June 3.
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