State Fair shuts down Congressional candidate Matt Little's world handshake record attempt

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minnesota congressional candidate's record-breaking handshake attempt at the State Fair was cut short — but he's not giving up.

State Fair thwarts handshake record

What we know:

Democrat Matt Little was aiming to shake more hands than any politician in history over eight hours at the Minnesota State Fair, but fair officials shut him down before he could get there.

Reaching for the record

The backstory:

Little set his sights on topping the current world handshake record held by Bill Richardson — 13,392 handshakes — and planned to push all the way to 15,000 in a single eight-hour stretch at the fair.

Things were moving fast. About an hour and 15 minutes in, Little had already reached 2,000 handshakes and was on pace to break the record.

"So we were going for the world handshake record by a politician in an eight-hour period. The current record is held by Bill Richardson, 13,392 handshakes. We were coming here to break that and get to 15,000, that was our goal," said Little. "About an hour and 15 minutes in, we were at 2,000 handshakes, we were on track to beat the record. They shut us down, we're still trying to figure out why."

Fair officials told FOX 9 that Little was breaking rules surrounding behavior, activity and soliciting. Little, however, said he didn't see it that way.

"They sent us a rule, they were saying we were interfering with the State Fair. I thought we were adding to it, we weren't blocking anybody. We'll figure out what happened, we'll retool and try to beat it another time," said Little.

Despite being shut down, Little says he still walked away with a record — 57 handshakes in 17 seconds.

What they're saying:

Little says the whole effort was about more than politics. He wanted it to be something anyone could enjoy, no matter where they stand politically.

"I think it's something that brings people together. There's a lot of pride with the Minnesota State Fair, a lot of pride just in Minnesota, so a big part of our goal since everything is so divided, we thought it was a nice thing to bring people together at the Great Minnesota Get-Together," said Little.

He says he plans to try again at a different time to go after the record for the most handshakes in eight hours.

State Fair responds

The other side:

State Fair officials issued the following statement to FOX 9, explaining why Little's efforts were stopped:

"The policies and rules of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society, which governs the Minnesota State Fair, state that all business conducted on the fairgrounds must be done by those who have an approved license to operate within a designated footprint on the fairgrounds. This rule is what prevents any person from wandering through the crowds or setting up a table and soliciting donations or trying to sell goods. This also prevents third-party organizations from piggybacking on to other licensed operators."

The statute from the Agricultural Society:

"No person may solicit money or sell or distribute any merchandise or material of any kind without a license issued by the society authorizing the solicitation, sale, or distribution from a fixed location on the fairgrounds."

Because he does not have his own license: 

During the State Fair, people who are not licensed are not permitted to: 

• Conduct business, which includes distributing any materials or promotional items, selling, soliciting or actively seeking to engage in conversations
• Protest or march
• Carry or post signs or banner
• Perform
• Be disruptive
• Impede or interfere with the ability of licensed vendors to conduct business
• Engage in activity that is unsafe for any State Fair patron, exhibitor or employee 
• Other activities may not be permitted at the discretion of State Fair management

The race for Minnesota's Second Congressional seat

Dig deeper:

Little is a Democrat running for Minnesota's Second Congressional seat, currently held by Rep. Angie Craig. His Republican opponent is Eric Pratt, who has served in the Minnesota State Senate since 2023.

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