The Republican National Convention will move its marquee events to Jacksonville, Fla., organizers said, ending weeks of uncertainty after President Donald Trump battled with the governor of North Carolina over social distancing precautions that could have limited crowd size, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The task of nominating the party’s candidates for president and vice president will be done in Charlotte, N.C., with a limited number of delegates, but the big convention events—chiefly Trump’s acceptance speech—will shift to Jacksonville, which raced to put together a proposal and overcame concerns about hotel and arena capacity.
The convention will be held Aug. 24-27. It places Trump in the most prized swing state, which has 29 electoral votes and which he narrowly won in 2016.
“Not only does Florida hold a special place in President Trump’s heart as his home state, but it is crucial in the path for victory in 2020,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said. “We look forward to bringing this great celebration and economic boon to the Sunshine State in just a few short months.”
Jacksonville was one of several cities that showed interest. But the city, which is run by a Republican mayor in a state governed by a Republican ally of Trump, emerged as the front-runner as convention organizers have limited time to contend with logistical, health and security concerns.
Plans for the Democratic Party convention are somewhat in flux. It was set for July in Milwaukee then pushed to August. The party says the location won’t change, but it is unclear how many people will attend.
“We will follow the science and we will not abandon Milwaukee, as did this president in North Carolina,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Wednesday.
In Florida, Trump is likely to get the unalloyed celebration he wants. Gov. Ron DeSantis is close with the President and has been pushing to restart the state’s battered economy. Permitting and other details came together quickly under Mayor Lenny Curry, a former state GOP chairman who avidly lobbied for the convention, the Journal added.
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