GOP-leaning fair board and pro-Trump sheriff eject Democrats, sparking debate over double standards and constitutional removal
ASHLAND, Ohio — Sept. 20, 2025 — A county fair known for tractor pulls, livestock shows, and funnel cakes turned into a constitutional showdown this week when Ashland County Fair officials — backed by Sheriff Kurt Schneider — ordered the Democratic Party booth shut down and escorted its representatives off the grounds. The reason: buttons that critics said crossed the line from political expression into threats against President Donald Trump.
The incident has sparked a storm of debate about free speech, partisan bias, and the meaning of phrases like “86-47” in the heat of partisan conflict.
The Flashpoint: Buttons on a Table
It began Thursday afternoon when fairgoers complained to the board about buttons displayed at the Ashland County Democratic Party booth. Among them: “Is he dead yet?”, “One day, we will wake up to his obituary,” and the shorthand “86-47.”
Board President Marty Wesner said the material violated Rule 12 of the fair’s vendor contract, which bars “inappropriate words or symbols that are offensive.”
“We can’t be promoting something for someone to get killed,” Wesner told reporters. “This is a family fair. There’s enough discord in the country without that.”
Fair officials ordered the items removed. When Democrats refused, the board called in law enforcement. Deputies from the sheriff’s office escorted party representatives out. The booth fee — about $500 for the week — was forfeited with no refund.
Sheriff Schneider Steps In
Sheriff Kurt Schneider, who took office in January 2025 after campaigning as a “Constitutional Conservative Republican,” moved quickly. He opened a criminal investigation and contacted the U.S. Secret Service.
At a press briefing, Schneider held up images of the buttons. “This is a red ball cap with ‘Felon’ across the top of it, referencing the President of the United States,” he said. “And here, ‘86-47,’ which is removal of the President, who is the 47th president of the United States.”
Schneider emphasized that his office would examine whether “any violations of Ohio criminal law have been committed” and that “the Secret Service has been notified to investigate any crimes that may be associated with the President’s safety.”
What Does “86-47” Mean?
The phrase “86” has long been slang for “get rid of” or “throw out.” Coupled with “47,” it refers to Trump, the 47th president. Schneider said he interprets it as a call for removal, not assassination.
That distinction matters: the U.S. Constitution provides peaceful, legal mechanisms for removing a president.
- Impeachment (Article I, Sections 2 & 3): The House can impeach and the Senate can convict a president for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
- 25th Amendment: The Vice President and Cabinet can declare the president unable to discharge duties, subject to congressional review.
While phrases like “Is he dead yet?” and “One day, we will wake up to his obituary” flirt with violent imagery, “86-47” by itself could be read as advocacy for impeachment or other constitutional removal.
State Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) argued as much: “Putting an opinion out there that you want him out of office isn’t threatening, nor is it a crime.”
Schneider’s Conservative Identity
Schneider’s interpretation of “86-47” is inseparable from his political profile. He ran on a platform pledging loyalty to conservative values: “Pro-Trump, Pro-Gun Rights, Pro-Life,” according to his campaign materials. He has traveled with other Republican officials to the southern border, echoing national MAGA talking points on immigration and crime.
His biography highlights nearly two decades in law enforcement — patrol, K-9, bomb squad — but his public persona is steeped in partisan branding. By acting swiftly to involve the Secret Service, he has underscored his alignment with a broader MAGA narrative that treats speech critical of Trump as potential threat territory.
The Political Makeup of the Fair Board
Heather Sample, chair of the Ashland County Democratic Party, believes partisanship drove the decision. “Three Republican members of the Ashland County fair board, backed by two Republican County sheriff deputies, ordered the Ashland County Democratic Party to leave … because they disapproved of Ashland Democrats criticizing the Republican administration,” she said.
The board insists its decision was about “family-friendly” rules, not politics. But the optics are clear: Republican officials enforcing rules that resulted in Democrats being expelled from a county institution.
The Double Standard Question
This isn’t the first time political merchandise has tested the limits of “family-friendly.”
Board President Wesner admitted a conservative group called the “Conservative Coalition” was told to remove inappropriate “propaganda” three years ago. They complied and were allowed to remain. That enforcement was low-key — a quiet correction, not an expulsion.
Meanwhile, county fairs across Ohio have been flooded with “FJB” (“F*** Joe Biden”) and “Let’s Go Brandon” hats, T-shirts, and stickers. Such items are profane and aggressive, but have not prompted booth closures or Secret Service referrals.
That contrast has fueled accusations of a partisan double standard: anti-Biden profanity tolerated, anti-Trump messaging punished severely.
Free Speech and the Law
The clash raises constitutional questions. The First Amendment protects even offensive political speech, but fairs are governed by agricultural societies that can impose vendor rules. Courts have upheld “time, place, and manner” restrictions at fairs, such as requiring solicitation to stay within booths (Heffron v. International Society for Krishna Consciousness, 1981).
But viewpoint-based bans — ejecting one party for offensive speech while tolerating another’s — push into First Amendment violations. “Family-friendly” is a vague standard, critics argue, and vulnerable to partisan enforcement.
Voices From the Fair
Reactions from the ground reflected the divide. Fairgoer Dan Kaufman called the display “shameful … the exact opposite of what we need in our country right now.”
Others whispered that they had seen plenty of “Let’s Go Brandon” gear at fairs before, wondering why one brand of vulgarity drew shrugs while another drew federal agents.
Sample, the Democratic chair, declined further comment until consulting an attorney.
What Comes Next
Schneider’s office is compiling evidence for prosecutors. The Secret Service has been notified. The Democratic booth is gone for the year.
The broader question remains: When is political speech too offensive for the county fair? And who decides? In Ashland County, that decision currently rests with a Republican sheriff and a board that, by the Democratic Party’s own account, leans Republican.
Coda
The whole affair reeks of fried dough and hypocrisy. A county fair drowning in elephant ears, tractor smoke, and MAGA ball caps decides that a handful of buttons are too much for the delicate sensibilities of “family-friendly” America. Spare me.
You could buy “F*** Joe Biden” shirts by the armload at every county fair in Ohio for the last four years — nobody called the Secret Service. Kids walked past stalls plastered with “Let’s Go Brandon” banners, vendors slapping the president with vulgarity while sheriffs grinned for the cameras. That was free speech, patriotic even, wrapped in red, white, and Bud Light.
But put the wrong number on a button — 86-47 — and suddenly the sheriff himself is clutching the rulebook like a Gideon Bible and dialing up the feds. This is the same sheriff who campaigned as a Pro-Trump crusader, who took victory laps about being “pro-life” and “pro-gun” and “pro-border,” and now he’s the arbiter of what’s safe for the kiddies to see at the tilt-a-whirl.
They tell us it’s about keeping things civil, about preserving “family values” in a livestock barn that smells like pig shit and cheap politics. Don’t believe it. It’s about power — about who gets to talk, who gets silenced, and which version of America gets paraded through the fairgrounds.
The truth is simple: free speech is only “family-friendly” when it flatters the sheriff’s friends. Everyone else can pack up their booth and get escorted out by deputies in cowboy hats. That’s the carnival we’re living in — one where the rides are rigged, the prizes are fake, and the sheriff keeps the keys to the midway.
The carnival midway might shut down at midnight, but the fight over free speech and political double standards doesn’t end when the lights go dark. Independent Defender is reader-funded, not beholden to parties, boards, or sheriffs. If you want hard questions asked — and answered — right here in our community, subscribe today and stand with local journalism.
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