Coronavirus Concerns At Odds With GOP Convention Plans
The Republican National Convention initially was supposed to take place in North Carolina but the state's governor refused to lift public health restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Now, after moving the event to Jacksonville, Florida, GOP planners are facing sky-rocketing case rates in the area while a number of high-ranking officials are balking at attending.
Politico:
Trump’s Convention Bash Upended By Florida’s Coronavirus Crisis
President Donald Trump redirected the Republican National Convention to Florida after North Carolina's Democratic governor couldn’t “guarantee” a full venue in August because of the coronavirus pandemic. But with coronavirus cases skyrocketing in Florida as Trump's poll numbers drop in his must-win battleground state, it looks like the president won't get his full-blown festivities there, either. (Caputo and Fineout, 7/7)
AP:
Trump 'Flexible' On Size Of Convention As Lawmakers Shy Away
With coronavirus cases surging in Florida, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s “flexible” on the size of the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville. The president spoke as a growing number of Senate Republicans said they’d skip the event, and even as the White House tried to tamp down nationwide concern about the virus’s spread. (Kellman, 7/8)
The Washington Post:
Republicans Split Over Attending Convention
Politicians, donors and party officials, especially seniors at higher risk of complications from the disease, now face a difficult choice between a personal risk to their health and a potential backlash from the president and his supporters. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), 78, indicated Tuesday he will attend the convention, but two other top Senate Republicans, Iowa’s Charles E. Grassley, 86, and Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander, 80, are taking a pass. (Scherer and Dawsey, 7/7)
The Hill:
Romney, Collins, Murkowski Won't Attend GOP Convention
Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will not attend the GOP convention next month in Florida, aides for the senators confirmed to The Hill. An aide for Collins noted that she was never planning to attend the GOP convention because she does not go when she herself is up for reelection. Collins is in a tight race this year that could be pivotal in determining who holds the Senate majority in the next Congress. Spokespeople for Romney and Murkowski didn't immediately respond to follow-up questions about whether their plans were related to the coronavirus as the country sees an increase in cases. (Carney, 7/7)
NPR:
Some Republican Senators Plan To Skip GOP Convention
As for Collins, an aide said she's skipping as part of a long-running tradition not to go during reelection years. Collins "never made plans to attend the convention because she has never attended the national convention in years when she is up for election," the aide said. In 2016, Collins attended the convention despite saying she would not support President Trump. (Grisales, 7/8)
In related news out of Florida —
ABC News:
Trump Admin. To Flood Jacksonville With Free Testing Ahead Of GOP Convention
The Trump administration has picked Jacksonville, Florida -- the site of the planned GOP convention -- as one of three cities in the country where it will set up free "surge testing" sites to try to catch people who are infected with the virus but aren’t showing symptoms. The idea behind the experimental push is to create pop-up sites to test some 5,000 people a day for five to 12 days in one area -- a kind of turbo-charged testing effort that would expose how widespread the virus is in that community. (Flaherty, 7/7)
The Washington Post:
Florida Invited The Nation To Its Reopening — Then It Became A New Coronavirus Epicenter
As the coronavirus savaged other parts of the country, Florida, buoyed by low infection rates, seemed an ideal location for a nation looking to emerge from isolation. The Republican National Convention moved from Charlotte to Jacksonville, the NBA eyed a season finale at a Disney sports complex near Orlando and millions packed onto once-empty beaches. Weeks later, the Sunshine State has emerged as a coronavirus epicenter. (Wootson Jr., Stanley-Becker and Rozsa, 7/7)
