Mississippi gubernatorial candidate stands by refusal to allow female reporter to interview him alone, which she says is 'sexism'

"I didn't want to end up in a situation where me and Ms. Campbell were alone for an extended period of time throughout that 15- or 16-hour day, and so out of precaution, I wanted to have her bring someone with her -- a male colleague. The other thing I think it's important to point out is that this is my truck, and in my truck, we go by my rules and that's my rule," state Rep. Robert Foster told CNN's John Berman on "New Day."

Larrison Campbell, a reporter for Mississippi Today who was denied the hours-long interview by Foster, expressed frustration with the situation during the same CNN interview.

"Look, we got to call this what it is: when a woman isn't given access to the same things that a man would be given access to, it's sexism," she said.

Campbell wrote in Mississippi Today on Tuesday that the paper had asked to shadow each gubernatorial candidate seeking the GOP nomination "in an attempt to better inform readers" and that the other two candidates agreed to the request while Foster declined.

On Wednesday, Foster said on a Mississippi talk radio show that having a female reporter with him could create "an awkward situation," and said on Twitter that his Christian faith and marriage were among the reasons to deny her access.