Clare Hester and Mississippi's Historic State Flag

Clare Hester and I graduated together from Clinton High School in 1977. I knew her personally. I also knew her cousin John Treloar particularly well, having worked with him in Germany and later in Texas.

Philip Gunn is also closely identified with Clinton. He represented the Clinton area in the Mississippi House and rose to become Speaker of the House.

The fact that Gunn, Hester and I share Clinton connections does not prove that Gunn and Hester coordinated concerning the flag. It is, however, part of the personal and political context that caused me to consider whether a relationship or channel of influence may have existed.

That is a question to investigate—not an answer to assume.

During a personal conversation, Hester told me about the considerable amount of money she was earning through her work. As I remember the conversation, she indicated that she may have earned approximately $1 million in a year.

I cannot now provide the precise date, wording or amount. I therefore present this only as my good-faith recollection of a conversation in which I participated.

The conversation impressed upon me that Hester was operating at an exceptionally successful and financially significant level within Mississippi's lobbying and political establishment. Her statement about her earnings does not connect her to the flag campaign.

Hester is the founder and managing partner of Capitol Resources LLC, a government-relations and public-affairs firm. Her firm's public biography describes her as one of Mississippi's leading lobbyists and emphasizes her experience in:

• Legislative and political campaigns;
• Grassroots initiatives and coalition-building;
• Strategic communications;
• Relationships with legislators and state officials;
• Recognizing opportunities for compromise;
• Refining political tactics; and
• Implementing successful legislative strategies.

Those capabilities resemble the methods evident in the successful 2020 flag operation: coalition-building, institutional pressure, strategic messaging, private negotiations, intensive vote-counting and direct lobbying of legislators.

Similarity supports asking whether Hester participated. It does not establish that she did.

The campaign that removed Mississippi's historic state flag was not a spontaneous vote by isolated legislators. The documented record shows that:

• Powerful business, religious, educational and athletic interests pressured lawmakers;
• House and Senate leaders privately negotiated the essential terms;
• Legislative leaders avoided publicly disclosing the details while securing votes;
• Gunn divided House Republicans into groups for targeted contact;
• Legislators were asked to commit to suspending the rules, opposing floor amendments and changing the flag;
• The historic flag was repealed before any statewide election; and
• The historic flag was prohibited from appearing on the 2020 ballot.

This was an organized political campaign. The public deserves to know everyone who organized, financed, advised and influenced it.

The evidence presently available to me does not establish that:

• Hester or Capitol Resources represented a flag-removal organization;
• Hester personally lobbied Gunn about the flag;
• Gunn sought or followed Hester's advice concerning the flag;
• Capitol Resources organized the business or institutional coalition;
• Hester participated in drafting or negotiating House Bill 1796;
• Hester directed the effort to secure legislative votes;
• Hester was paid for work connected with the flag; or
• Hester was the principal lobbyist behind the campaign.

A credible investigation must acknowledge those gaps rather than substitute suspicion for evidence.

My shared Clinton history with Hester, Gunn's Clinton political base, Hester's extraordinary lobbying influence and the highly organized nature of the 2020 campaign contribute to my belief that her possible involvement deserves investigation.

They do not prove that she controlled Gunn or served as the principal lobbyist behind the flag change.