Colom campaign event with Harris moved to Columbus High School after MUW declines to host it

• The Colom campaign says over 1,000 people have RSVP’d for the event now being held in the Columbus High gym.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) is in Mississippi today for a rally with Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom.

The two will appear together in the gym at Columbus High School on Thursday night after the Mississippi University for Women informed the Colom campaign late Tuesday that the campus could not host the planned rally citing logistical concerns.

Colom is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the midterm election on November 3. President Donald Trump (R) will be in Mississippi on Monday to rally support for her and the other GOP candidates in the Magnolia State.

On Tuesday, The Dispatch reported that Colom told the Columbus/Starkville newspaper that MUW leadership initially agreed to host the rally but then reneged, offering the campaign no reason why but were “apologetic.”

“We’ve had plenty of communication with The W for like a week. It’s been regular, moving forward, and we were told everything was fine,” said Colom. “Now we’re declined.”

Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins told The Dispatch that the MUW site was “a logistical nightmare,” and said Interim MUW President Scott Tollison “decided it wasn’t a good (venue) because of us not having enough time to plan for security.”

In an emailed statement to The Dispatch, Tollison said MUW never officially agreed to host the event.

“The W was a prospective, but not confirmed location for the event,” the email read, per The Dispatch. “After reviewing the full scope of the operational details made available Tuesday afternoon, it was decided that all of the resources and logistical challenges necessary, including preparation prior to the event, would prove too disruptive to maintain normal campus operations.”

The Colom campaign now says over 1,000 people have RSVP’d for the Harris event at Columbus High School. Those without a ticket will not be allowed into the venue. However, the campaign does plan to livestream the event.