Jacksonville is new front-runner to host RNC instead of Charlotte, GOP chair says
Updated June 10 at 10:15 p.m.
Republicans voted Wednesday night to dramatically scale down the scheduled Republican National Convention in Charlotte in August, with a smaller percentage of delegates expected to attend.
The RNC’s Executive Committee’s vote came as Jacksonville, Fla., emerged as the front-runner to host the marquee event — the formal acceptance speech by President Donald Trump.
The convention was once projected to bring more than 50,000 people to Charlotte — including delegates, party officials, media and others. But N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper said he could not guarantee that the full attendance of 19,000 people would be allowed at the Spectrum Center due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The possibility of moving to Jacksonville prompted sharp backlash from Charlotte leaders. Such a change would yank the highest profile part of the four-day convention out of Charlotte, which is scheduled to start Aug. 24.
Planning for the event in Charlotte had been going on for two years before Trump upended it last week when he tweeted that Republicans would look for a city that could guarantee a big crowd for his acceptance speech in August.
The Washington Post and New York Times reported Wednesday that GOP officials had tentatively decided to move the convention to Florida, though Republican National Chair Ronna McDaniel called the reports “definitely premature.”
“We are going to keep... the business of the convention in Charlotte,” she told radio host Hugh Hewitt. “It’s going to be smaller and scaled down. And then we are looking for a different city for a celebration. There’s a couple more things we need to do before we can announce that, but Jacksonville is absolutely in the front-running position.”
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump said he had “no choice” but to move the Republican convention, and that a new location would be announced shortly. “We’ll see how it all works out, but the governor doesn’t want to give an inch.”
The details of a “smaller and scaled down” convention emerged Wednesday night. An RNC spokesperson released a statement that outlines how the event will be held in Charlotte.
“The RNC’s Executive Committee has unanimously approved procedures that allow for official convention business to continue in Charlotte. Many cities are eager to host the president’s acceptance of the nomination, and talks are continuing with several of them to host that celebration,” an RNC spokesperson said in a statement.
Here is a look at what the RNC’s Executive Committee approved Wednesday:
▪ The group voted to reduce the number of delegates coming to Charlotte to 336 — six each from states and territories. Republicans have nearly 2,500 delegates in their nominating process. All delegates will still vote for the president and vice president nominations, even if they’re not in Charlotte.
▪ All delegates and alternates will be permitted to attend the acceptance speech and may each bring a guest, if permitted by law.
▪ The executive committee also canceled all other committees, outside of the credentials committee. The powerful platform committee will not meet, and the platform approved in 2016 will remain for 2020.
A violation of contract
The Charlotte host committee, charged with raising almost $70 million for the event, called the move “a clear violation” of contracts with the city and other local groups.
“We have learned from news reports that the Republican National Committee has moved the convention from Charlotte to Jacksonville,” the committee said in a statement Wednesday. “This decision is in clear violation of the agreements made with the City of Charlotte, the County of Mecklenburg, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, and the Charlotte Host Committee.
“Unfortunately, this action most directly impacts our hospitality and tourism partners, small businesses, and vendors counting on the economic impact of the promised events.”
The city of Charlotte said officials have been working “in good faith” with GOP leaders “to complete its contractual obligations under the terms of the two Convention agreements.”
“Considering the media reports of the RNC’s apparent unilateral decision to relocate a substantial portion of the convention to Jacksonville, an immediate discussion with the RNC and our partners regarding contractual obligations and remedies resulting from this apparent decision is required,” the city said in a statement.
While the city has a contract with the convention, the host committee has contracts with venues including the Spectrum Center. What would happen to those contracts is being negotiated.
City and host committee committee officials have been talking with GOP leaders since last week. Exactly what parts of the convention would remain in Charlotte is unclear.
Also unclear is what happens to the millions already raised by the host committee.
Some convention donors typically contribute to give their city an economic boost at a time when it’s receiving global attention. The convention expected as many as 15,000 journalists. How many would come for the “official business” of a convention is not known.
‘No regrets’
Speaking Wednesday morning on WFAE, Mayor Vi Lyles said Charlotte is still willing to host the RNC as long as organizers agree to abide by restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“This is a contracted obligation,” she said. “So, today, if they said, ‘Well, we’ve been to Jacksonville and we couldn’t make it work and we’re going to make it work (in Charlotte) and prescribe to the requirements for the COVID-19,’ we would host this convention because we have that obligation. But we are in a pandemic.
“They have to make that decision on their own. And whatever decision they make, that’s when we start talking about how the contract works,” she said.
Asked by host Mike Collins about money Charlotte has already spent preparing for the convention, Lyles pointed to a $50 million security grant Charlotte received from the federal government to get ready for the RNC.
“There are expenses that we’ve made,” she said. “And I would expect that that grant would cover those expenses because we have dealt with this in good faith and that’s the important thing.”
Lyles took political heat from some fellow Democrats for pursuing the 2020 GOP national convention for Charlotte, which had also hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention. But, speaking of the convention in might-have-been terms, she told Collins she had no regrets about those efforts two years ago.
“I have no regrets about going after something that the city would have benefited from in the way that we planned at the beginning,” the mayor said. “It would have been amazing to have this opportunity to be on international media. It would have been a great opportunity to fill up every hotel room.”
The tentative selection of Jacksonville prompted state GOP lawmakers to drop a bill that would have allowed Trump to speak to a full arena in Charlotte.
“I will be withdrawing my bill to have the RNC in CLT,” Rep. John Torbett of Gaston County tweeted. “It appears that Gov Coopers mission was accomplished. He has now ruined all chances of having RNC in CLT and Jacksonville has been selected. A bill now would just be a waist (sic) of The People’s House time, energy, and resources.”
No empty seats
Trump made his expectations clear in a May 29 phone call with Cooper. He alluded to the day five years ago this month when he announced his presidential campaign after riding down a golden escalator in Trump Tower.
“Since the day I came down the escalator, I’ve never had an empty seat and I find the biggest stadiums,” he told Cooper, according to the Washington Post, citing people familiar with the call. “I don’t want to be sitting in a place that’s 50% empty.”
Cooper told Trump that because he couldn’t know the scope of the coronavirus or state restrictions in August, he couldn’t guarantee full attendance at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. And he wanted people to social distance.
The New York Times reported that a formal relocation announcement could come Thursday.
Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, is a Republican. And unlike most cities that have been mentioned as a follow-up site for the RNC, Jacksonville has a GOP mayor.
Lenny Curry was also formerly chairman of the Florida Republican Party. In a May 26 tweet, Curry said the city “would be honored to host the Republican National Convention.”
Mixed support in Jacksonville
But, there’s also opposition to having Trump deliver his acceptance speech in Jacksonville. More than 6,500 people have signed an online petition to “Keep Republican National Convention Out of Jacksonville,” citing fear of violent protests coming to the city the week of the RNC.
Another prominent figure in Jacksonville, Shad Khan, the owner of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. But Khan, a Muslim who emigrated from Pakistan in 1967, later publicly opposed Trump’s order banning U.S. visits of Muslims from seven countries.
And when Trump called on NFL owners to fire players who “disrespect the flag,” by kneeling during the national anthem, Khan locked arms in solidarity with players prior to a September 2017 game and blasted the “divisive and contentious remarks by President Trump.”
Jacksonville is named for Trump’s favorite U.S. president, Andrew Jackson, who was Florida’s first military governor after Spain sold Florida to the United States in the early 19th century.
Like Trump, Jackson was a controversial president known for his outspokenness. After Trump moved into the White House, he placed a portrait of Jackson in the Oval Office.
Some N.C. Democrats welcomed the convention‘s reported move.
“If the president is genuinely delusional enough to think that demanding a full-scale convention is reasonable, then Jacksonville is more than welcome to host his acceptance speech,” said state Democratic Party spokesman Austin Cook.
In a statement, Cooper spokeswoman Dory MacMillan said, “State and local partners have been willing to work together with the RNC on a scaled-down event with health and safety measures, but it wouldn’t be responsible to guarantee a full arena as the RNC has demanded.
“State officials will continue to support health and safety aspects of any activities that do remain in North Carolina.”
Francesca Chambers and Brian Murphy of McClatchy’s Washington Bureau contributed.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 9:19 AM.
