10 States Boycott the Great American State Fair, But PA Senators and Companies Step Up to Fill the Gap

The Great American State Fair appears to be going swimmingly, despite the TDS-riddled naysayers and detractors who cannot bring themselves to celebrate our great country because of who holds the office of the President of the United States.

A White House press email touted the successful launch:

The nation’s 250th birthday countdown is underway — and President Trump is making sure it matches the moment. The Great American State Fair kicked off on the National Mall, and Trump announced he will personally headline the Mount Rushmore fireworks celebration on July 3rd — the first time fireworks have lit up the Black Hills since 2020.

However, 10 states declined to represent the nation with their displays: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Nine are blue states with Democrat governors, of course. What's even more egregious: four of them are a part of the original 13 colonies.

10 states—Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Pennsylvania—have confirmed they will not send an official delegation to the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall in celebration of America’s 250th.… pic.twitter.com/OIQIsDRiPk
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) June 28, 2026

10 states—Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Pennsylvania—have confirmed they will not send an official delegation to the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall in celebration of America’s 250th.
9 of the states are led by Democratic governors, with Vermont being the only Republican-governed state to decline involvement so far.
Notably, PA Gov. Josh Shapiro tops the list of highest paid governors.

Independent journalist and native Pennsylvanian Salena Zito expressed her outrage, as did other Pennsylvania citizens. You are an original colony and the birthplace of the United States Constitution; how do you not make it a point to be a part of America's 250th anniversary? PA Gov. Josh Shapiro expects to run for president in 2028, so you would think he would have risen above petty politics in order to take advantage of this opportunity to polish his national bona fides.

Apparently not.

Thank goodness the great state of Pennsylvania has some great senators who believe in bipartisan cooperation.

Trump Tours Monument He's Repaired and Reclaimed for America

Sens. Dave McCormick (R) and John Fetterman (D) both said, "How do we make this happen?" Within hours, they worked together with business leaders to pull off not just the state display, but also representatives to man the area.

McCormick & Fetterman stepped up & saved the day; Pennsylvania will be there.
In a span of a handful of hours secured they secured the funding & sponsorships.
It was humiliating to think the state where the Declaration was signed almost wasn't represented https://t.co/VcN9kRWkwM
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) June 28, 2026

These two senators are a sterling example of what Congress should represent: getting things done for the good of the American people and standing up for what truly matters.

Pennsylvania's two U.S. Senators say the state will have a presence at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., days after Gov. Josh Shaprio said President Donald Trump had made the event too partisan, and that there has been insufficient interest.
In a joint statement, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dave McCormick said that with help from a number of state business groups, Pennsylvania would be able to join most other states with a display at the event, "to ensure Americans visiting the Great American State Fair can experience everything our Commonwealth has to offer."

Here's Fetterman's commonsense response:

“Celebrating America’s 250th birthday and Pennsylvania’s special role in our country is important and bipartisan. We discovered our Commonwealth wasn’t participating in the Great American State Fair on the National Mall and we should be,” said Senator Fetterman. “We are now making sure Pennsylvania’s booth will highlight the Commonwealth’s agriculture dominance, our businesses, and what makes PA a truly awesome and historic place.”

McCormick wholeheartedly agreed:

“Pennsylvania is where America’s story began, and there was no way we were going to let the Commonwealth go unrepresented during our Nation’s 250th birthday celebration,” said Senator McCormick. “As the birthplace of American independence, home to the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg, and the engine for the arsenal of democracy, Pennsylvania has a special responsibility to preserve, celebrate, and share that enduring legacy.”

McCormick and Fetterman worked with United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and leading Pennsylvania organizations — all private partnerships — to make it happen. No taxation of citizens was involved.

Joining Senators McCormick and Fetterman in this effort are the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, PennAg Industries Association, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, and The Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA).

Washington State Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-05) wasn't able to pull together a coalition, but he did take time out of his schedule to man the state booth himself.

Unfortunately Governor Bob Ferguson chose NOT to have Washington State officially participate in THE GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR, but I couldn’t let this stand, so I came down to man the nearly empty booth and show that not everyone in our state puts politics before celebrating our… pic.twitter.com/SWkWK6579d
— Congressman Michael Baumgartner (@RepBaumgartner) June 27, 2026

Unfortunately Governor Bob Ferguson chose NOT to have Washington State officially participate in THE GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR, but I couldn’t let this stand, so I came down to man the nearly empty booth and show that not everyone in our state puts politics before celebrating our country. Fun to stamp the “passports” - as long as everyone said “Go Sea Hawks.”

Baumgarten called out WA Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) for missing an opportunity and for putting politics over celebrating America.

WATCH:

It’s really bugging me that Idaho (w a less than 3% unemployment rate and $1 cheaper gas) has a so much better booth than the sad and empty Washington (+5% unemployment and biz leaving) because our Democrat Governor choose not to participate in celebrating America! WA is a… pic.twitter.com/smuCwGA7CT
— Congressman Michael Baumgartner (@RepBaumgartner) June 27, 2026

It’s really bugging me that Idaho (w a less than 3% unemployment rate and $1 cheaper gas) has a so much better booth than the sad and empty Washington (+5% unemployment and biz leaving) because our Democrat Governor choose not to participate in celebrating America! WA is a wonderful state! We should be celebrating and putting our best foot forward to attract biz and innovators. Not only are Gov Ferguson’s actions petty and unpatriotic, they are foolish and dumb for a state that is quickly growing a reputation as one of the worst in the country for small business friendliness due to left-wing socialist views of state and local policy makers. It’s not too late for Gov Ferguson to do the right thing - he should drop the partisan nonsense and personally come out to The Great American State Fair in DC on the 4th of July and man the Washington booth to celebrate our great country and our state.

Then there's North Carolina. Gov. Josh Stein (D) also declined to participate in the Great American State Fair, so a few private corporations stepped up to provide the display on the Mall. Here's a video showing what was featured.

I stopped by the North Carolina booth at the "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall today.

The state decided not to participate because of the high costs so the booth is sponsored by private orgs. pic.twitter.com/tsnU9GjOYO
— Reuben Jones (@ReubenJones1) June 26, 2026

Notice the "Southern Cross" displayed prominently? Of course, this triggered all the usual suspects, including Stein himself, who decried the display and demanded it be removed.

A spokesperson for Stein said the video display of the flags misrepresented North Carolina and called on organizers to remove it.
"This display does not reflect the North Carolina that we love. America 250 is about unity and bringing our nation together. Glorifying this divisive Confederate symbol does the exact opposite. We demand the organizers stop dishonoring the flag of North Carolina," they said.

Perhaps if Stein had bothered to be a part of this process, he could have had more say over what was displayed and what was not. Just a thought. Needless to say, the organizers caved, and those displays have been removed.

A private organization from Massachusetts also stepped up to cover for MA Gov. Maura Healey and her partisan decision not to be a part of the America 250 celebrations on the National Mall. Kudos to that organizer, but it is shameful that instead of being free to identify themselves and their contribution, they chose to remain anonymous.

Citizens of Connecticut and Rhode Island also expressed their displeasure over their elected representatives' choice to exclude their state from the Great American State Fair.

I’m a not gonna let this go. Here’s a picture of Connecticut’s representation at the National Mall for 🇺🇸 250. A DISGRACE… @ctdems, Lamont’s RADICAL REGIME, care more about: socialism, bashing Trump, illegal immigrants, taxes; any other STUPID left policy you can think of; than… pic.twitter.com/mB2SFveef8
— Daniel Miressi (@DanMiressiCT) June 27, 2026

I’m a not gonna let this go. Here’s a picture of Connecticut’s representation at the National Mall for 🇺🇸 250. A DISGRACE…
@ctdems, Lamont’s RADICAL REGIME, care more about: socialism, bashing Trump, illegal immigrants, taxes; any other STUPID left policy you can think of; than our country or state history — It was George Washington who relied on CT for provisions to win our independence. Ct cities from Bridgeport to New Britain that helped shape National commerce… and manufacturing like in Danbury making hats, or Waterbury making bullets to win WW2. Our history is rich. A tenet of “communism” is to destroy what was. Never forget we are the CONSTITUTION STATE… you can’t tell the story of 🇺🇸 without Nutmeggers. It’s ok to be PRIDEFUL in our heritage. This “display” is just another embarrassment/encapsulation of Hartford’s (@democrats) INCOMPETENCE, hatred — E Pluribus Unam!

As one Rhode Island citizen put it, it's "a small story that reveals a large problem."

Rhode Island’s absence from the Great American State Fair is a small story that reveals a large problem: the people officially representing us don’t appear to feel much obligation to do the job.

The more telling detail may be from Massachusetts, where a private citizen stepped… pic.twitter.com/Smy9D5bqNl
— Anchor Rising (@AnchorRising) June 28, 2026

Rhode Island’s absence from the Great American State Fair is a small story that reveals a large problem: the people officially representing us don’t appear to feel much obligation to do the job.
The more telling detail may be from Massachusetts, where a private citizen stepped in to make sure her state had at least some presence — but feared to give her name to reporters out of fear of political repercussions... for giving out maple syrup. That is where our political culture is.
Rhode Island’s officials and their media explainers have offered the usual fog: funding constraints, no real loss, nothing to see here. But the question is whether anyone even tried to find citizens or groupswilling to represent the state when government wouldn’t.
The answer matters because it points to the deeper condition: Those who hold power know they are insulated from consequences, while those who might better represent the public learn that stepping forward can make them a target.
That’s a bleak way to mark 250 years of the American experiment.

The better news: despite the disregard of its citizens by certain elected officials in 10 states, 40 cities, and six territories embraced the moment, honored their people, and acknowledged the important role they play in this American experiment.

The Great American State Fair will be on the National Mall through July 10.

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