Republicans Look At Multi-City Convention For Trump’s Renomination

After President Trump suddenly announced last week that the Republican National Convention wouldn’t be held in North Carolina, GOP leaders have been left scrambling to find a new site.

One possible solution is holding a multistate convention with major speeches and rallies in a number of different cities, according to NBC News.

“GOP officials are already on the ground in places like Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Dallas; Phoenix; and New Orleans. They may also schedule scouting visits to Atlanta; Savannah, Georgia; and Las Vegas in the weeks to come,” NBC reported.

The convention, which will re-nominate the president as the 2020 Republican contender, is set to begin on Aug. 24. The four-day soiree is used to reward hard-core Republicans who have worked to drum up support for the party’s nominee. The conventions are typically held in massive arenas — all of which have been closed down due to COVID-19. But with the advent of Zoom and other platforms, perhaps the time has come for an online virtual convention.

On Saturday, The New York Times reported that Republicans are even having a hard time finding delegates to attend the convention.

“Adding to the uncertainty surrounding the convention is the trepidation delegates are feeling about attending a crowded gathering,” reported Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman. “Already, states like Indiana are having difficulty filling both their delegate and alternate spots. Many convention delegates are over 60 and therefore more vulnerable to the virus.”

“Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence’s home state, has struggled to fill its slots with the party donors and activists who typically compete for the highly coveted positions to represent the state on the convention floor,” the NYT said.

Trump got annoyed last week after North Carolina’s governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, and other officials “refuse to guarantee that we can have use of the Spectrum Arena” and were not “allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised.”

“Because of @NC_Governor, we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Had long planned to have the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, a place I love. Now, @NC_Governor Roy Cooper and his representatives refused to guarantee that we can have use of the Spectrum Arena – Spend millions of dollars, have everybody arrive, and… then tell them they will not be able to gain entry. Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised. Would have showcased beautiful North Carolina to the World, and brought in hundreds of… millions of dollars, and jobs, for the State. Because of @NC_Governor, we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

But The Hill reported on Sunday that “veterans of conventions past say it is almost certain that Republicans will have to keep the bulk of their convention activities” in Charlotte, N.C.

“The RNC’s Executive Committee has voted unanimously to allow the official business of the national convention to continue in Charlotte. Many other cities are eager to host the president’s acceptance of the nomination, and we are currently in talks with several of them to host that celebration,” Michael Ahrens, the RNC’s communications director, said in a statement.